Fort Lauderdale, FL

Of all the neighborhood communites that comprise the city of Ft. Lauderdale, I chose to set roots in the community of Poinsettia Heights.

Poinsettia Heights is a neighborhood in the northeast quadrant of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and its boundaries are Federal Highway (US 1) to the west, Sunrise Boulevard and adjacent to the neighborhoods of Lake Ridge and Middle River Terrace to the south. Poinsettia Heights was originally known as "North Ridge,". The developer, Gill Construction Company commenced building in the 1940s and early 1950s when many other surrounding communites began to boom.

Ft Lauderdale is comprised of many forms of residential homes from the most modest to the most luxurious in the country. Today, an eclectic group of original and recently built homes line the streets from 15th Avenue on the west to 20th Avenue and Lake Melba on the east. The Middle River forms a natural boundary to the north and 13th Street separates it from the neighboring Lake Ridge.

Poinsettia Heights is a quiet and unassuming Ft Lauderdale neighborhood that, due to existing regulations, is zoned single family residents and allows townhomes and condos only along the two main thoroughfares. This is a protective devise for property values that other neighborhoods have long since abandoned. Many other more expensive neighborhoods allowed the destruction of charming bungalow type homes on decent sized lots in favor of multi-family, multiple level structures that now give some streets a cramped feeling. Poinsettia Heights has two schools are located in within the neighborhood (Sunrise Middle School and Bennett Elementary School.) Shopping and dining are literally out the front door and a brisk walk along U.S. 1, its eastside location. Originally, homes generally ranged from 1,100 to 1,800 square feet (170 m²) but with new construction can now be in excess of 4,000 square feet (370 m²).

Pricing of the homes in this prime Ft Lauderdale location can start as little as the low $100's for a multi-family dwelling or small bungalow to the $600's for a fully remodeled home complete with dock and passage to the Intracoastal waterway. This makes Poinsettia Heights attractive to many economic lifestyles. Although there is a loosely formed community civic association, there is no mandatory membership or fee associated with this neighborhood, making it very affordable.

For more information on my neighborhood or any of the other delightful areas nearby, click here for more free information.

Sapphire Condo Market Update

First time home buyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  First time home buyers can be nervous, cautious, apprehensive and sometimes get stuck in their decision making for fear that there might be a better house at a better price out there that they might have missed.  First time home buyers feel many things at once.  They are scared to pay too much, excited to get a good deal, confused and overwhelmed by of the number of homes on the market, and certainly by the short sale and foreclosure process which is so challenging.

First time home buyers need guidance and need to understand the environment they are competing in.  Many first time home buyers try to read everything they possibly can about the real estate market and about 'how homes aren't selling', but that is not neccessarily true, especially in entry-level markets.  Properties in the lower price ranges are on fire... selling like hot cakes!  The nicest homes on desirable lots with all the bells & whistles coming on the market can get a dozen or more offers within days.  It's like a feeding frenzy, plus investors are jumping back in the game again, paying cash for homes, which is competition for first time home buyers who must get financing in order to buy.   So having a good understanding of the market and being pre-qualified with financing helps first time home buyers to take away a lot of the hesitancy.  Florida is a Homestead State so make sure that you Homestead your home if you are a full time resident for additional benefits.

Affordability is at record low levels today and there are deals out there but first time home buyers should take into consideration that if a house is a such a super low price it most likely needs a lot of repairs, it may be stripped of fixtures, appliances, may not be in compliance with permitting, have code violations, liens and the cost to replace and repair need to be factored as it can add up to a lot, not to mention that a house with such issues may not qualify for financing.  I recommend to my first time home buyers in the affordable price ranges to look for a house which is not the lowest priced in it's range, as you get what you pay for and you will always pay fair market value in end.  The property should be in good condition, have good bones, a sound roof and such.  If it has some upgraded features, great!  It's hard to find that perfect home completety done up just the way you like.  If it needs some updating, which can always be done in time, that just may be your best opportunity.  See my featuredBest Buy and other listings!

One more thing I stress to my first time home buyers is that interest rates are very low today and that they must start the home-buying process by first talking with a lender and being pre-approved so that first time home buyers know what they can afford.See current mortgage rates for first time home buyers here.  Often first time home buyers are surprised that they can afford more than they thought.  Need Broward County Schools information?

JUST ANNOUNCED! Great news for first time homebuyers -The Tax Credit update... It's all done! The Tax credit has been extended to April 30, 2010, plus now existing homeowner's are now eligible for a $6,500 tax credit provided they have lived in the home they are selling for 5 consecutive years in the past 8 years. Purchase price can not exceed $800,000.  Income levels for eligible home buyers have increased to $125,000 for single buyers and $225,000 for couples.

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You've got to work as hard or harder than the realtor representing you to find a home of your dreams.

You say wait a minute, Isn't my job to approve what my realtor finds me? Why do I have to work at this?

The answer is simple. This is a very competitive market. I have stated this for the last 6 to 8 months, we are in a frenzy at the bottom of the real estate market. The sooner the buyer understands that it's dog eat dog out there the sooner they'll have that dream purchase.

My motto get there 1st and bid at or substantually above asking price. Many banks set prices low for a bidding war. Even at the higher price you should still be in great shape for the future higher home values.

Another insentive for you is the tax credit now extended to April 30 2010 and existing home owner insentives of up to $6500 for home owners in their home 3 of the last 5 years.

Sooooo! Get out there and make a great deal!!:}

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