About Citrus County, FL

Beautiful sunny Florida! What a great place to live. Why would anyone want to wait to buy a home here,when there is so much to gain.

According to the Florida Association of Realtors, home prices have fallen 20% statewide in the past year. Home sales volumes are rising again indicating that the market is gradually regaining its strength, meaning that NOW is the TIME TO BUY! Abundant inventory levels give buyers ideal conditions to find their dream home. This won't last forever. As sales volumes increase, inventory levels will gradually decrease.

The federal, state, and local housing programs can help buyers afford The American Dream. The U.S. Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 includes a $7,500 tax credit for first-time home buyers on a home purchased between April 9, 2008, and July 1, 2009. President Obama's stimulus package promises to make programs possible that will help Americans become homeowners.

Mortgage rates are the lowest they've been since the 1970's. This helps strengthen a buyers financial power. Just a 1% increase in interest rates can make a considerable difference. DO the math. A $200,000 loan, with an increase from 5% to 6% costs about $125 more per month and $45,000 over the life of the loan. On a $400,000 loan, the same increase costs buyers an additional $250 per month and about $90,000 over the life of the loan.

Affordable housing in Florida should attract home-buyers which is key to help strengthen our economy. Home buyers need to be educated enough to be able to invest in their future. The Florida lifestyle attracts people of all ages. The warm weather, nature, and year round outdoor activities make this state a very desirable place to live.

Right Now is the PERFECT TIME TO BUY A HOME in Florida!

Looking for something to do this weekend? Take a drive to Crystal River, Florida, just north Homosassa on the the West Coast of Florida where the Manatee Festival is going on for the second day today!

Several streets in the historic parts of town right down to the Bay area have been blocked and turned into a pedestrian zone lined with vendor booths of all kinds from the unique to the mondane.

Country crafts, fine arts, plants and produce, area and tourist information, as well as nature and environmentally education opportunities... there is something for the entire family!

There are opportunities to take half hour boat rides to watch Manatees in the Bay area of the Crystal River.

Along the way admire the waterfront homes along the River and Bay!

The Crystal River Heritage museum is open for visitors with book signings and pottery demonstrations.

Need some rest? There's food, there's live entertainment, there are quiet places to sit and relax under shady trees.

One of the many bands and singers entertaining the crowds throughout the festival area.

Enjoy your day!

Backyard seating area of one of the downtown restaurants.

Fresh Strawberries and Tomatoes in January!!!

The strawberries are Florida-grown and did not even make it back to the car! Mmm.. delicious!

Photos and text submission by Silvia Dukes.

For waterfront living in Hernando, Pasco, and Citrus Counties.... please contact me!

Well, the year is off to a great start. Getting my name out there can be a difficult task. I bring my business cards everywhere I go.

I received a call a couple of weeks ago from a gentleman in Korea. He had a one acre peice of property in Pine Ridge, FL that he wanted to sell at a firm price of $50,000. I knew that it was a bit over priced in this market, but I chose to list it anyway. As it turns out, I ended up negotiating two offers, with my client accepting the highest bid.

To make this sale, I had used my knowledge of a real estate professonal and advised my client that it was a great offer and that he should accept it. With that being said, he took my advice. It was only on the market for 15 DAYS! This was a great thing for me. I learned alot.

The process of selling it taught me some negotiation skills and I learned about selling property for clients from a foreign country. It definitely put some experience under my belt.

I picked up this lead from putting my business cards in the local community center.

http://www.pineridgeflorida.com/

I'm glad that I took the time to do so. It really paid off!

Wow! Something we here our customers say often. I even most times will provide them with the cards at closing to allow them to share with their family and friends the joyous occasion of purchasing their new home. However, my news comes with excitement and sadness. After careful consideration my broker decided to close the branch office I was located in. This came as a shock to some, but I feel pretty adapt to change and took on the challenge to find a new office to call home. The broker that I am employed with owns 3 other offices in the county and it was just a matter of location, location, location! Something we hear all to often.

Initially I was quite hasty in my decision to move across town to another location in our area, however I decided to go to our sister company just up the road. Owned by the same broker, same brand ERA, just a different franchise name. I'm settling in nicely and preparing for the transition. Ordering new business cards, changing signs out, new name badge, new signage for my vehicle, new marketing, letting all my customers know where I am. WHEW!!!! Alot to do and here I find myself blogging.

I just wanted to make sure that all my colleagues at active rain knew how to find me. Especially those who are referring work to me. Thanks for those referrals!

Check out some of my recent just solds....coming up in the next blog!

Hello,

I am glad you are taking the time to read my blog. I hope the information will be helpful. Do not hesitate to give me some feed back. I believe that we are finally close to the bottom. Investors are coming back to the area to buy the lower priced properties, this is stabilizing the market. I have been in the Real Estate business since 2002 and I only have that much experience in the Crystal River Real Estate market but I always try to get information from the agents that have been in this market for a long time. They are saying that Citrus County market is near the bottom and they believe it is going to bounce back in the next couple of years. I have customers that chased the market going up and never pulled the trigger. And I know that they are waiting for the market to hit the bottom, I just hope that they are not going to miss it this time around. Buy low and sell high is always the rule. How much lower can it get. When you can get a house today for the price of a lot three year ago you can say they are "dirt cheap":-) I am looking for good deals for myself. There are a lot of them but you can not wait too long because they are not going to be there for ever. When you need a list of properties for sale in Crystal River or anywhere in Citrus County Florida, contact me and will be happy to send it to you with of course no obligation. I am just asking for a chance to earn your business. Thanks again for your time and happy house hunting. Citrus County Florida Real Estate