Elizabeth Birmingham

I read a featured post today showing some really bad pictures from their mls. It is true bad pictures can be a real turn off. The opposite can also be true. I have a knack for photography. I am not a professional but I have been published. I can make a shack look like a nice house. When digital cameras ame out I was in 7th heaven. I took great pictures of ugly properties. I found that I was not getting offers on thee properties. When asking for agent feedback I was told that the buyers were disappointed because the house did not look like the pictures. This was a revelation. I retook these glamor shots and made the pictures true to life. I took the bad parts from far away but included them so the buyers would not be disappointed. My listings started to sell and my feed back was normal.

When listing a home in Key West Florida, Grand Junction Co or anywhere it is important to make sure the pictures are representative of your home.

Need proof that Fla. home sales are up?

WASHINGTON – Sept. 28, 2011 – The value of home sales in Florida has gone up. For proof, look no further than doc stamp taxes, which are paid on all home sales. According to U.S. Census Bureau reports, doc stamp revenue rose 9.8% in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the same quarter in 2010.

Other state taxes also rose, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday as part of a national study that showed continued revenue gains nationwide.

Florida sales tax collections climbed 5.4 percent; Florida corporate income tax collections rose 5.4 percent year to year for the quarter ending June 30.

Nationally, corporate income tax collections shot up 20.4 percent while sales tax increases increased by 4.7 percent. Income tax collections were 16.3 percent higher in the quarter compared to 2010.

Stagnant property values continued to take a toll, however. Nationally, local governments collected $85.9 billion of total property tax revenue, a decrease of 1.0 percent from the same quarter in 2010.

Source: News Service of Florida

The Florida Realtors are a very proactive association. I am please to be involved as a member. I can sell a house most anywhere in the state. Real estate in Florida and especially in Key West, Florida has been desirable because of the weather. Property prices fell because there are a lot of second homes in the Florida/ Key West Market. First to fall first to rise. The future looks bright for Florida. Time to start looking at the Key West, Florida Market again.

I know the Key West Market well. I have owned property in Key West, Florida since 1970. I bought in Key West when the market was low. Even with the dip in prices I have had huge appreciation. Come get you piece of the "rock"

I had my first experience with radon levels over the normal limit. It was scary. The house was in Colorado where there are a few Uranium mines. Apparently in the time period from 1940 to 1980 uranium mill taiings were given away free to the public to use for back fill, cement making, gardening, sand boxes for children and whatever other uses people could think of to do with the sand.

In 1970 the EPA figured out that this was dangerous and started a program to remediate the area. A free government program allowed any homeowner to have an inspection to detect the presence of mill tailings. There were more than 100,000 notice sent to homeowners. 70,000 responded. The other 30,000 were not inspected. Any home or property that had dangerous levels of radiation was re-mediated. They dug out basements, scraped the soil from around homes, cleared lots and in general cleaned up all they could find. The other 30,000 homes are still out there radiating away. That is scary. The government program is no longer available. Home owners with radiation/mill tailings are on their own. A a Realtor our job is to protect the public from harm. In Colorado a mill tailing report is available from the county free of charge. The report is very detailed. Radiation levels are mapped out numerically. Each section of the property has a before and after report.

My buyers were given the mill tailing reports for the property along with the other standard disclosures. The report stated high levels around the garage and under the house. During inspection a radon detector was set. The radon report indicated radon levels of 14. The normal acceptable levels are 4.

My buyer cried. I wrote an inspection resolution amendment. Yesterday the county inspector came to inspect the ground. He was very informative. He explained that the radon produced Gamma Rays (very science fiction sounding) and these little guys are the dangerous parts that cause cancer. The ground the garage and the upstairs of the house were at acceptable levels. The pad on which the furnace sat was "hot". Remediation was a simple fix. Ventilate the air from the basement out side. It was not unreasonably expensive. All ended well.

The tailing reports I pull have thus far been negative but what about the 30,000 homes that were not inspected? My buyers will now be encouraged to have a radon test even if it is not "standard" in our area. I want my buyers protected.

Yesterday I posted an email from the Florida Realtors. It took me a while to digest the good news. I have included it again. Florida cities dominate the the price increase list, based on data from 2.2 million listings in 146 markets. That is wonderful news for our state.This is good news for sellers, relatives, friends and business people. We are coming back after being hit very hard. This is good news for everyone including buyers. If you want to live in Florida your purchase is likely to increase in value. Buy now while the market is just starting to rise.

One thing I have learned after being in Real Estate so many years. When Florida booms it is with atomic power not dynamite. It is not to late to get a deal and chances are your property will appreciate. Key West has always been a little pricier than most of the state yet there are still deals. Great time to invest!

Home listing prices rising in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. – Sept. 26, 2011 – Prices are rising in Florida.

Florida cities have had the largest year-over-year increases in average list prices, according to the latest real estate data from Realtor.com. Based on August data of 2.2 million listings in 146 markets, Florida cities make up nine of the top 10 places for highest year-over-year list price spikes.

Nationwide, the average list price is $320,325, up 2.36 percent year-over-year.

Here are the top 15 cities boasting the highest percentage of year-over-year increases in average list prices.

1. Miami
Average list price: $640,332
Year-over-year increase: 27.4%

2. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.
Average list price: $443,570
Year-over-year increase: 26.27%

3. Central-Fla. rural service area
Average list price: $405,809
Year-over-year increase: 19.41%

4. Punta Gorda, Fla.
Average list price: $267,066
Year-over-year increase: 16.37%

5. Macon, Ga.
Average list price: $193,520
Year-over-year increase: 15.98%

6. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
Average list price: $466,785
Year-over-year increase: 15.86%

7. Naples, Fla.
Average list price: $713,087
Year-over-year increase: 15.13%

8. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.
Average list price: $591,895
Year-over-year increase: 14.68%

9. Ocala, Fla.
Average list price: $193,360
Year-over-year increase: 12.07%

10. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
Average list price: $181,409
Year-over-year increase: 11.48%

11. Orlando, Fla.
Average list price: $319,419
Year-over-year increase: 10.56%

12. Portland-Vancouver, Ore.-Wash.
Average list price: $314,537
Year-over-year increase: 10.52%

13. Boise City, Idaho
Average list price: $212,588
Year-over-year increase: 10.43%

14. Springfield, Illinois
Average list price: $174,537
Year-over-year increase: 9.12%

15. Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
Average list price: $211,414
Year-over-year increase: 8.34%

Source: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Realtor® Magazine Daily News

© 2011 Florida Realtors®

Home listing prices rising in Florida

This is from the Florida Realtors newsletter. Good news for sellers. Buyers better take note. Call me to find you a property NOW!

ORLANDO, Fla. – Sept. 26, 2011 – Prices are rising in Florida.

Florida cities have had the largest year-over-year increases in average list prices, according to the latest real estate data from Realtor.com. Based on August data of 2.2 million listings in 146 markets, Florida cities make up nine of the top 10 places for highest year-over-year list price spikes.

Nationwide, the average list price is $320,325, up 2.36 percent year-over-year.

Here are the top 15 cities boasting the highest percentage of year-over-year increases in average list prices.

1. Miami
Average list price: $640,332
Year-over-year increase: 27.4%

2. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.
Average list price: $443,570
Year-over-year increase: 26.27%

3. Central-Fla. rural service area
Average list price: $405,809
Year-over-year increase: 19.41%

4. Punta Gorda, Fla.
Average list price: $267,066
Year-over-year increase: 16.37%

5. Macon, Ga.
Average list price: $193,520
Year-over-year increase: 15.98%

6. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
Average list price: $466,785
Year-over-year increase: 15.86%

7. Naples, Fla.
Average list price: $713,087
Year-over-year increase: 15.13%

8. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.
Average list price: $591,895
Year-over-year increase: 14.68%

9. Ocala, Fla.
Average list price: $193,360
Year-over-year increase: 12.07%

10. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
Average list price: $181,409
Year-over-year increase: 11.48%

11. Orlando, Fla.
Average list price: $319,419
Year-over-year increase: 10.56%

12. Portland-Vancouver, Ore.-Wash.
Average list price: $314,537
Year-over-year increase: 10.52%

13. Boise City, Idaho
Average list price: $212,588
Year-over-year increase: 10.43%

14. Springfield, Illinois
Average list price: $174,537
Year-over-year increase: 9.12%

15. Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
Average list price: $211,414
Year-over-year increase: 8.34%

Source: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Realtor® Magazine Daily News

© 2011 Florida Realtors®