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Suites 101 & 102
Miami Lakes, FL 33014
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West Palm Beach, FL 33406
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
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Cape Coral, FL 33904
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Navigating the Proposed NAR Settlement: Buyer Agent Survival Guide
UncategorizedAttention Realtors! Have you heard the buzz about the proposed settlement from the National Association of Realtors (NAR)? It’s been causing quite a commotion in our industry, and as Real Estate Professionals, we need to be on the edge of our seats, ready to adapt to potential changes. Let’s dive into what’s being proposed and how it could affect us.
What are the proposed changes?
So, what’s all the buzz about? Well, buckle up, because things are about to change. The proposed NAR settlement suggests some significant shifts in how we might do business:
How could this affect you as a Realtor?
Now, you might be wondering, “How could this affect me?” Well, let us break it down for you. If this proposed settlement is accepted, it could mean that Realtors will need to be prepared to step up your game. You will not be able to wing it anymore. You will need to present yourself even more professionally and ensure your clients understand your role, value, and compensation.
What will you need to do?
You will need to have a systematic way to build trust with your buyers and get those agreements signed.
Are you ready?
Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Our team at Title Partners of Florida is here to support you every step of the way. We’re preparing a special course to help you navigate through these potential changes smoothly.
In this FREE course, we’ll equip you with everything you might need to succeed in this new landscape as a trusted professional:
So, there you have it, folks. The proposed NAR settlement will be shaking things up, but there is no need to worry. With the right knowledge and support, you will be ready to tackle the changes head-on and continue to thrive in our industry.
Stay tuned for more updates and get ready to conquer this new chapter together!
5 THINGS TO DO BEFORE LISTING YOUR HOME FOR SALE
UncategorizedImproving your home’s presentation should be the first thing a house on the market should attend to. You should start by finding a good agency. Any agent can tell you what price range your home falls under. Yet only the best agent can tell you what to expect of buyers in your particular market. Having said that, here are 5 ways to get started on preparing to sell your home.
1. Raise the Curb Appeal
Exteriors are the first experience potential buyers have with a house. Your house’s exterior should therefore immediately create a good and welcoming ambience. Clear, paint, repair, mow and prune any damaged or unkept areas around the property. Ensure your front door is visible, accessible, and clutter free. Aim to give potential buyers a feeling of ease and comfort when approaching your home.
2. Deep Clean the Interiors
Cleanliness makes a home feel well taken care of, so deep cleaning can win points with buyers. Each room, cabinet and garage should be tidied up before showing. Ensure you have the right window treatments that enhance natural brightness. Ensure you have clean rugs and carpets with no sight of stains, dinginess or odors. If these seem daunting, a professional cleaning company can take care of it for you.
3. Repair the Broken Things
Repair or replace broken or outdated hardware in your home. Door handles, faucets, towel bars and curtain rods are fixtures that are visible to buyers. They can be fixed without much cost. Replace light fixtures that are broken or no longer fit your home. You can use light fixtures to draw attention to selling points, such as artworks or mantles.
4. Declutter your Home
Potential buyers should see clean, open spaces when they look at your home. This will enable them to imagine their own comfortable life in your home. Decluttering your home removes distractions and makes it easier for buyers to explore. Remove clutter such as litter boxes, pet dishes, toys, and kids’ entertainment. Fresh, decorative flowers in the kitchen or on the dining room table are a welcome touch. However, ensure it is simple and cleanly decorated.
5. Paint With Neutral Colors
Painting is an affordable maintenance project with a high return on investment. Putting a fresh coat of paint on white or beige walls can do wonders in freshening your home and its appeal. Repaint walls that have unconventional colors. Neutral colors, such as taupe and subtle grey, are the best choices. This is because it is rare that someone doesn’t like these colors. Additionally, lingering paint smell can be avoided by painting a month before listing . So time your painting.
First Time Buyers Beware of these 4 common closing mistakes
UncategorizedBuying a home could come with a lot of anxiety and this can be exceptionally overwhelming especially for first time homebuyers.
While this process can be exciting also, it can come with some potential pitfalls, a lot of which can have an effect on your life for years to come so you need to take care so as not to make these mistakes that are common amongst first-time homebuyers.
#1 Location
Location is super important when making a real estate purchase. This is one of the key drivers of value in buying a home. The location of your home can provide convenience to a lot of things and places and if you have kids or intend to have kids then you should be looking at somewhere that is closer to a school.
You’re also looking for somewhere that has an easy commute to work or places you like to go often as well as somewhere that would appreciate over the years. A great location would be high in demand by the time you are willing to sell at a later time or rent out.
#2 Ignoring Additional Expenses
These are unmentioned expenses that come with buying a home. A lot of first-time homebuyers only look at the initial price quoted by the seller without looking at additional expenses. This makes them spend so much more than was initially budgeted for the buying process.
There are various additional expenses like service tax, stamp duty, registration charges, maintenance deposit, parking space fees, brokerage fee. It is important to keep these fees in mind while planning your budget so you are not taken by surprise.
#3 Skipping the home inspection
A lot of buyers are so excited that they skip the most important part of buying a home, which is the home inspection. Skipping a home inspection could put you in a lot of risks, both financially, physically and mentally if the home is not in a very good shape. If there are hazards that were not detected during the buying process it can take a toll on the buyer in the long run, things like mold, carbon monoxide etc can create a health concern in the long run or safety issues such as bad electrical wiring or plumbing problems can make you spend much more than was initially budgeted.
So before buying a home, it is important to hire home inspectors for a little fee to take a good look at the property you are about to purchase.
#4 Insurance
Most first-time buyers fail to protect their homes with lifetime insurance. Home insurance is intended to protect you financially if something happens to your property. The typical homeowner’s policy covers interior and exterior damages, loss of assets and injury sustained while on the property. This specific policy can also provide benefits such as legal costs and temporary accommodation.
Home insurance package policies are pretty much all-inclusive and can cover most risks a property owner is likely to encounter so when it comes to insuring your home, it is necessary to find a well informed broker and make some research to know what program works best for you.
We, at Title Partners of Florida, write and support the real estate transaction closing, including the issuance of title insurance policies through Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund. We also coordinate searches, title products, and a variety of other services for our clients. Contact us with any questions about our real estate closing services by phone at (844) 321-6168 or by email at titleinfo@titlepartnersfl.com.
How to file a homestead exemption in Florida
UncategorizedWhat is a homestead exemption?
This can be described as a property tax exemption for your permanent primary residence.
A homestead exemption permits a property owner to exempt a fraction of the value of their home from property tax assessments, it reduces your escrow payment and your overall payment.
A homestead exemption is tied to a specific property, which is the property of the owner. It came about because senior citizens on tight incomes had difficulties paying the property tax. As a matter of fact, in some locations, a homestead exemption completely eliminates taxes for senior citizens.
However, the homestead exemption does not prevent a bank foreclosure if a property owner defaults on their mortgage.
Requirements to be met in order to qualify for the Florida homestead exemption
Documents required for Florida homestead exemption application
To apply for the Florida homestead exemption you must note that there are a few conditions that must be met before the submission of the documents required.
Documents required:
How to file for Florida homestead exemption
Once you have received the Homestead Exemption, you do not have to re-apply because your Florida homestead exemption automatically renews every year as long as your residency status and the property title stay the same. However, the homeowner has a responsibility under the law to notify the Property Appraiser if there is a change of ownership or property title.
How Ukraine Invasion Is Affecting The Florida Real Estate Market
UncategorizedPresident Joe Biden has authorized sanctions this week on Russian Officials with assets in the USA. This is coming after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shook the global markets causing a spiral in oil and gas which have experienced volatility, with crude oil rates going from $43.00 a barrel to about $104.00 and expected to peak to $109.00 – $143.00 depending on when the crisis ends. And the global stock market, which is expected to get hit by 5% – 30% depending on Russian stocks listed.
The luxury real estate market is also feeling the impact as the US government has put sanctions in place to restrict the Russian elite’s ability to access western financial institutions. Russians in Sunny Isles, Florida have been worried that the rising conflict will blacklist them from buying properties in the USA.
“If the Ukraine crisis deepens, then there may be a negative impact on the overall economy and the real estate sector, which is currently witnessing a growth trajectory,” experts say.
The Treasury Department has proceeded to immobilize Russian Central Bank assets that are being held in America in a bid to cripple their reliance on international markets with additional measures to exclude major Russian financial institutions including big lenders VTB and Sberbank, representing more than 80% of the banking sector from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT.
“If SWIFT will be taken away from them, and hopefully that happens today, that would complicate any kind of transaction,” said Natalia Raphael, a Moscow-born real estate agent with the Keyes Company. “If they cannot use wires, if they cannot transfer money freely as they have been so far, that complicates business quite a bit.”
These Sanctions are very aggressive and are making it very difficult for Russian financial institutions and the elites to trade in US dollars because the invasion of Ukraine has caused some strain in the purchase of real estate properties in South Florida.
“We are extending the reach of US sanctions to prevent the elites close to Putin from using their kids to hide assets, evade costs, and squander the resources of the Russian people,” a National security council official told the Miami Herald. “This is the new approach.”
The National Association of Home Builders have also recorded a spike in prices of construction materials because of global supply-chain disruptions as prices of construction materials have gone up to 22% annually with lumber prices up 40% over the past months.
“Higher mortgage rates will slow home buying demand over the course of 2022, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis will add short-term volatility to the bond market,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz.
The real estate market lately has been in a bubble which is about to burst and with the unsteady global situation with Russia invading Ukraine, prices are likely to increase drastically over the coming months, which could possibly lead to a recession.
What’s Changing In Florida Real Estate?
UncategorizedThe real estate market in Florida has been thriving. There has been an increase in population growth which has of course encouraged demand for rental properties as well as luxury real estate. Mortgage interest rates are going up for the first time in a while and are expected to reach 3.60%, an increase from the current rate which is 3.30% by the end of 2022. Several housing experts have predicted where they think the real estate market is headed in 2022. Here’s what they had to say:
Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist:
We expect a whirlwind 2022 for the housing market. Home sales are expected to increase another 6.6% and home prices to rise another 2.9% on top of 2021 highs. A gradual uptick in mortgage rates will make affordability a top consideration for home buyers, especially the 45 million Millennials aged 26 to 35 who are at prime first-time homebuyer age. Demand from these young households will keep the market competitive and fast-paced despite a small uptick in housing inventory as builders continue to ramp up production, increasing single-family starts by 5% in 2022.
Daryl Fairweather, chief economist for Redfin:
After two years of unprecedented uncertainty in the housing market, we’re expecting 2022 to be just as unpredictable. We expect 30-year-fixed mortgage rates to slowly rise from around 3% to around 3.6 by the end of the year, mostly attributed to the pandemic subsiding and inflation continuing to linger. By late fall, high mortgage rates, paired with already high housing prices, will likely slow annual price growth to roughly 3%.
This low price growth will likely discourage speculators from entering the market, giving first-time homebuyers a better chance at securing a home.
In 2022, we also predict home buyers will start considering climate change as a major factor in their home-buying decisions, as natural disasters and extreme weather events continue to increase in frequency. Home sellers will also likely make significant investments in climate-change resilient home features to appeal to climate-conscious home buyers.
Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage information website HSH.com:
Home sales in 2022 should be solid overall, but high home prices will likely be joined by higher mortgage rates, tempering sales compared to this year. The outsized annual increases in home prices seen in 2021 should slow in 2022, but even so, will leave home prices at or near record highs. At the same time, mortgage rates will tend to be firmer as the Fed ends its bond-buying programs and begins to lift interest rates by the middle of the year. Pricier homes financed with higher mortgage rates will exacerbate affordability issues, and this can be expected to dampen demand from homebuyers on the margins of the housing market.
In general, housing affordability seems to be falling. The volume of inventory of homes for sale fell behind the demand of buyers seeking property to buy. A lot of locals are grappling with affordability as Florida has seen an influx of foreign wealthy Investors with low taxes who have been swooping in and snatching up available inventory.
“It’s not a bubble, it is about the fundamentals,” said Jenny Schuetz, a housing researcher at the Brookings Institution. “It is about supply and demand — not enough houses, and huge numbers of people wanting homes.”
The pandemic destabilized the housing market, as the job market was stalled and the supply of homes to buy has seen a drop as a result of the restrictions associated with COVID-19 as well as supply chain shortages. So buyers need to prepare ahead of time as they are entering a hot as well as one of the most profitable markets to date, it is important to research ahead of time to avoid panic buying and to stick to a reasonable budget.
“Buyers may have a little more time compared to 2021 to make a decision, but given that it will still be a seller’s market, they’ll still likely have to move fast to keep up with that market velocity, Hone in on your home buying budget so you have a firm plan of what you’re willing to spend for a property that meets your needs. Buying a home isn’t just a financial decision. It’s also a lifestyle choice. Buying a home should make sense for your personal and financial situation.”
Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist at First American Financial Corporation advises.