Good information whether your Buying or Selling

This is a very difficult time for people thinking of buying or selling real estate but the following articles may give you some help deciding what to do.


POLL-Most Americans think it’s a good time to buy a homeWASHINGTON – April 18, 2008
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A new Reuters/Zogby poll finds that more than half (54 percent) of Americans now think it’s a good time to buy a home. While consumers still view the economy with a wary eye, confidence also improved in April, rebounding to 95.5 percent from a low of 87.7 in March.“Despite months of negative economic news, the overall mood of Americans is showing some signs of improvement – even though most still believe the U.S. is in the midst of a recession,” the poll says. The Reuters/Zogby Index includes 10 poll questions that gauge perception of the state of the country and the economy.Nearly three in four Americans (71 percent) believe the U.S. economy is currently in a recession, a slight decrease from 74 percent who said the same last month.
This month’s survey also finds fewer Americans give their personal financial situation a negative rating (47 percent), compared 54 percent who said the same in March. Slightly more than half (53 percent) rate their personal financial situation as excellent or good, compared to 46 percent last month who felt the same.


Why selling now makes sense BOSTON – April 17, 2008 –

Homeowners reluctant to sell because prices have fallen should do the math and realize that the market downturn could work in their favor, say real estate practitioners in hard-hit, but still pricey Boston.
Their reasoning may work in many other parts of the country as well.“People are finding houses at prices they thought they’d never see again,” says David W. O’Neil of Century 21 Spindler & O’Neil Associates in suburban Boston.O’Neil points out to potential sellers that if the house a buyer covets used to be $500,000 but its price has fallen 20 percent to $400,000, it is a deal, even if the buyer’s own home also has lost 20 percent of its value.In general, the toughest sell is people who bought about four years ago at the height of the market, says Zur Attias of The Attias Group at Barrett & Co. in Concord, Mass. But even for these homeowners, selling now may make sense as long as they can at least break even.
He argues that almost everyone forgoes something, and probably several things, that he or she wanted when buying a house. For instance, the home may be in the right school district but on a busy street. Or it may in a great neighborhood, but it’s a Cape, not a Colonial. These are things Attias calls “unchangeables.
”He says it’s a good time to sell if a seller can get rid of the most negative unchangeables in his current home and replace them with better unchangeables in a new home. Once the market really turns around, the growth will be bigger in the better house, he predicts.
Source: The Boston Globe, Vanessa Parks and Jonathan Wiggs (04/13/2008)

Please let me know if I can help you to sell your property or find a new home. I'm here to assist you and make the process as smooth as possible.

Rob Skeel Realtor
Century 21 Prestige Realty Group
305-393-6300
800-541-5019
www.RobSkeel.com
http://robskeel.com/homes_for_sale.shtml

Upper Keys Update

There has been plenty of potential buyers in the Upper Keys looking at properties the past few months. Many are just tire kickers and some are throwing out ridiculiously low offers but sales are happening.







In the last month there have been 10 closed sales and another 6 pending sales of water front properties. The average asking price runs from $590,000 to$4,900,000.







As I've said before there is plenty of great properties on the market and sellers are ready to consider good offers.







Mortgage rates are under 6% for conventional 30 year loans. If you have good credit you can find the home of your dream at a good price with a low mortgage interest rate. Waiting too long can hurt you, prices may start to go up and interest rates may not be as favorable. So if your planning on buying your "Dream Home" in Paradise, now is a great time to do it!


Rob Skeel Realtor
Century 21 Prestige Realty Group
305-393-6300 800-541-5019
www.RobSkeel.com
http://robskeel.com/homes_for_sale.shtml