Sherry Armstrong Daytona Beach FL real estate

I have just reviewed the monthly statistics for our area from the Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service and I thought you'd like to review the current activity from May 1, 2008 to May 31, 2008. There are currently 6191 Active residential listings. There are 3604 listed houses as of today and 195 houses have sold between May 1, 2008 and May 31, 2008. There are 1720 listed condos as of today with 35 condos having sold between May 1, 2008 and May 31, 2008.

This compares to April figures of: 6237 active listings, 3579 houses, 1781 condos, 190 house sales and 58 condo sales.

Condos made the difference in April - fewer sales, fewer listings. There are some great real estate buys in the Daytona Beach area - contact me for information on investing in Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach real estate.

Sherry Armstrong, REALTOR
sherry@sherryarmstrong.com
386-679-3191
800-375-7011 ext. 337

The real estate market in the Daytona Beach area showed some improvement in April. Total active residential listings declined from 6418 to 6237, representing 3579 single family homes and 1781 condos.

Sales of single family residences increased from 139 to 190 houses. Condo sales went up from 26 sales in March to 58 sales in April.

While short sales and bank-owned properties can spend a long time in escrow, the trend toward more monthly sales is positive for whatever reason.

Visit my web sites to view listings and information about Daytona and Ormond Beach:

http://www.sherryarmstrong.com/
http://www.ormondbeachflhome.com/
http://www.daytonabeachflhome.com/

There are lots of good buys for investors and owner-occupant buyers, and I can recommend good lenders.

Consider the Daytona Beach area for your next real estate purchase!

Sherry Armstrong, REALTOR
sherry@sherryarmstrong.com
386-679-3191

Selling real estate isn't all about making money and long hours and finding new clients and marketing yourself and your listings. It's about helping people - reaching out to those who have a need, to those who may not have a broad network of support, who may not have adequate - or any - health insurance.

Rose Roberts is a Realtor with our RE/MAX franchise. She was diagnosed a few months ago with breast cancer, and had very little insurance. Thanks to donations and many hours of fundraising by realtors in our company, we've helped Rose pay for the operations. Now she has hospital bills, and doctor bills, and - of course - lost income.

We're holding 2 major fundraising events for Rose soon.

April 26: Tomoka Oaks Golf Tournament. Cost $60/per person, or $220 per fore-some which includes green fees, cart fees, and lunch. 9 AM Start.

May 10: Poker Run, 1st Prize $500 (a donation by another realtor) + 2nd & 3rd place prizes + door prizes, BBQ and music. Enter with anything on wheels (remember this is Daytona, we use wheels for "runs"). Registration from 10 to 11:45 AM at the Volusia Home Builders Assn., 3520 W. International Spedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Last bike due in by 4 PM. Call Sue Morrison, 386-290-6737 for race details.

Visit http://www.helpushelprose.com/ for donations, to volunteer, or ask for information.

Reach out and help someone. What goes around does come around - thank you all!

Sherry Armstrong, REALTOR
sherry@sherryarmstrong.com
386-679-3191
800-375-7011 ext. 337

The Ginn Championship at Hammock Beach returns to Palm Coast and Flagler County March 24-30, 2008 as an official PGA TOUR Champions Tour event. The event will once again feature one of the largest purses on tour at $2.5 million and will be nationally televised on the Golf Channel. The inaugural Championship field featured 29 of the top 30 players and once again promises to bring top players to the area. The Championship has established itself as one of the preeminent events on Tour. The positive support from our sponsors, volunteers, charities and the community contributed to the success of the inaugural event. Through the support of the local community, the Championship raised $250,000 for local charities last year.

Flagler County, north of Daytona Beach and minutes from St. Augustine, offers three major birding spots as well as intriguing real estate investment opportunities.

Princess Place Preserve, 1500 acres of pristine natural lands, provides riding trails and runs along the Matanzas River and Pellicer Creek, popular with kayakers and canoeists. Freshwater creeks meet saltwater in an estuary alive with great blue herons, egrets, ospreys, kingfishers, wood storks, and bald eagles. Sandhill habitat attracts wood storks, little blue herons and egrets, as well as deer and alligators. Other birds spotted in the varied ecosystem of the Preserve include pileated woodpeckers, cormorants, and anhingas.

Haw Creek Park, 1005 acres with a boardwalk, includes cypress and hardwood swamp, home to great blue herons, anhingas, and osprey.

Palm Coast Linear Park, almost 10 miles of mostly paved path along the Intracoastal Waterway, has been nominated for status as a Stop along the Great Florida Birding Trail.

My web site gives details about the communities of Palm Coast and Flagler Beach. I live and work in this area and can give you insight and real estate market information about Flagler County and neighboring Volusia County, also a great birding destination.

Housing costs are lower in Palm Coast than in any other community in central Florida, and Flagler County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. For a second home location, or a vacation rental, Flagler County offers a variety of real estate investment opportunities. Contact me for details!

Sherry Armstrong, 386-679-3191
sherry@sherryarmstrong.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com

If you are having trouble meeting your mortgage payments, don't let this happen to you:

You Tube Video: Protect Yourself from Mortgage Fraud!

Contact me to find out your options. I've been a Realtor for many years, through up cycles and down, and can help you get a fair price for your property.

Sherry Armstrong
http://www.sherryarmstrong.com/
sherry@sherryarmstrong.com
386-679-3191

The other day while in a real estate related meeting the topic of C.L.U.E.(Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) reports came up and a very successful young agent raised his hand and bravely asked "What is a CLUE Report". My reaction was astonishment. How could any active Realtor today not have even heard of a CLUE Report?

I learned about them years ago, the hard way, when my homeowners insurance was canceled because of one small claim which I didn't even need to file. I ended up having to use Lloyd's of London coverage for several years.

So, here are a few facts I gathered from Privacy Rights Clearinghouse which should motivate you to learn about C.L.U.E reports:

• After you file a claim, your homeowner's policy may not be renewed and you may not find another company to insure you. (And, you may not be told about this by your insurance company!)
• Your automobile insurance premium may be raised because you filed for bankruptcy.
• Information stays on a CLUE report for five years.
• Your credit history can play an important part in an insurance company's judgment about your risk potential.
• Inaccurate information can be included in the report including information about someone else or another property.
• A report may use information other than claims data to rate you as a risk.
• Your phone calls to inquire abut a possible claim may be reported and lower your score.
• Even when repairs are made and the property is restored to the original condition, the CLUE report can include information about the claim.
• The report can affect the premium you pay as well as whether you are insured at all.
• Your history as a long-time customer with your prior company is NOT a factor of the CLUE report.
• Annual privacy notices from financial institutions and insurance companies do not have to explain that the company shares your information with the CLUE database.
• The insurer assigns you a score based largely upon your credit history
• You are entitled to get a copy of your CLUE report and your insurance score and dispute errors in the CLUE report.
• Insurance scores are also based largely on credit history, but the characteristics fed into the insurance score are supposed to predict how likely you are to file an insurance claim.

The ability for our buyers to obtain homeowners insurance is so important that it should be one of the first things your buyer does once an offer has been accepted. Prior water/moisture related issues as simple as broken plumbing that has since been repaired may make obtaining insurance on that property either very expensive or impossible.

So, how does your client go about getting a CLUE report? ChoiceTrust will provide a C.L.U.E. Personal Property Report with a 5-year history of losses associated with an individual and he/her personal property as well as a Home Seller's Disclosure Report which provides loss information about a given address which can be given to potential buyers. These reports can be ordered on their website.

I highly recommend that Realtors have every seller pull a CLUE report as soon as they know they are going to list their property and include a request for a CLUE report from every buyer just as you would a credit report.

And folks wonder why they need a Realtor!

January Sees Big Jump in Inventory

I have just reviewed the monthly statistics for our area from the Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service and I thought you'd like to review the current activity from January 1, 2008 to January 31, 2008. There are currently 6617 Active residential listings. There are 3872 listed houses as of today and 98 houses have sold between January 1, 2008 and January 31, 2008. There are 1830 listed condos as of today with 31 condos having sold between January 1, 2008 and January 31, 2008.

Good Buys are Available

For a breakdown by price ranges, please contact me directly. There are still great buys available in all price ranges in this coastal county but you need a local market expert to help you. Sherry Armstrong is an experienced real estate professional who has over 21 years of home buying and selling experience. For true local knowledgeable service in the Daytona Beach FL real estate market, contact Sherry directly at 386-679-3191.

Even though inventory is high and you are competing against many other homes, there are steps you can take to make your property stand out from the others. And in the crowded real estate market of our Daytona Beach area, you definitely need to do everything you can to make buyers remember your house. Follow these steps to prepare your home to sell:

1. Get a Pre-Inspection

Almost every buyer will get a Homeowner's Inspection during the contract period. But you can identify possible problems and be ready with answers if you get a pre-inspection before going on the market. The cost is between $180-400 in the Daytona Beach area, and the information will prepare you for buyer questions and requests for repairs.

You may choose to make repairs before listing your property, or sell "As Is." But it is always best to be proactive with buyers. Have a plan and decide ahead of time what you will fix and what you won't.

Even if the inspection highlights negatives about your property that you didn't expect, it's better for you to know about them first.

2. Get a Pest Inspection

Don't be surprised by termites or ants. Subterranean termites can cause damage, lots of damage unseen by the owner. Get an inspection before placing the home on the market to determine if there will be any repairs or treatment needed. If there will be, get a few quotes from pest control companies, if you don't have termite bond that will cover repairs.

3. Get a Neighborhood Environmental Report

This important inspection can include geologists, engineers, environmental scientists, and remedial systems technicians. A comprehensive review can provide services in groundwater resource evaluations, underground storage tank management, effluent disposal and groundwater contamination studies, environmental site assessments, and remediation services.

4. Prepare a Fact Sheet on the Selling Points of Your Neighborhood

Include school data, public transportation, nearby parks and recreation facilities, trails, community activities - as much as you can think of that will make your own neighborhood seem like a great place to live.

Have this information handy for all showings. If you have the time, a Home Book is even better, where you can include copies of warranties and photos of the home at different times of the year.

While your Realtor will be familiar with houses and prices, you are the best expert to sell the actual neighborhood.

5. Know Your Competition

Go to Open Houses and be aware of the listing prices and condition of the homes in your area. Be an informed seller.

6. Stage Your Home

Every property should look like a model home to sell at the highest price in the shortest time. But this isn't always possible, especially if you are living in it!

Making minor repairs, like fixing leaky faucets and squeaking doors, is mandatory. Cleaning the house for every showing - including windows - is mandatory. Making sure the home smells clean and sounds inviting (no pet odors, no loud rock music) is mandatory.

Once you've committed to preparing your home for showings, then you can tackle actually Staging Your Property. See my next blog post for specifics on this important selling strategy.

Contact me with your questions on selling in the Daytona Beach Area.

Sherry Armstrong REALTOR®
Sherry@SherryArmstrong.com
386-679-3191