Maria Borci ABR-TRC-ASP Doral Kendall FL Real Estate

When buying for a home, do not visit more than 4 listings a day, make a list of pluses and minus and finally eliminate the ones don't fit your necessities and priorities.

Listed here are three risky mistakes Buyers do when buying a house:

Reject to give full trust to the agent either for fear, lack of confidence or they feel it is not important enough to discuss about- Trust in your representative- they represent you in your best interest and they can't help you if they don't know your needs. Backing up of a transaction not always manage the return of your earnest money deposit, so please feel confident in your agent since the beginning.

Changing ratios prior to Closing - New ratios mean you no longer qualify for a loan. Do not buy anything with a credit card once you have completed and submitted a loan application. Not even furniture for the new home. An increase in your credit ratio or money you borrowed and now owe could cause the new loan bank underwriters turn your application down and deny the new loan.

Buying the wrong home- a bigger size or not located in the neighborhood they were looking for. Some buyers fell in love with the house backyards or the interior and forget about what was they were looking for. You should do a list of your priorities and which are the ones you can live without. A expensive house can strain you in a higher monthly payment- even if you can afford it- avoid buying a bigger home that always require more electricity, has extra lawn expenses and needs more cleaning time.

Home staging is very important marketing technique for selling homes, either they are furnished or not.

There are important things to remember about empty properties

1-People buy Homes and not House- it's therefore essential to give them the feeling of a Home- which can't exist in an empty space
2-Over 90% of people can't imagine what a house could look like with furniture in it if they have nothing to compare with their own furnishings to in an empty space. A room actually looks smaller empty than properly furnished and organized.
3-If there nothing to focus in, the negatives and defects will become more apparent to the prospective buyers.
4-When a house is empty house it gives an impression of an urgent need for selling and you can expect to get lower offers than proper ones.
What do you need to do when the house is empty
Outside: take care of the lawn and the landscaping - keep cutting the grass, triming hedges & bushes- plants-flowers . Rake leaves in the fall, and make sure that there is a clear path to and around the house. A fresh and clean coat of paint for the front door and fence is a must.
Inside: keep the house clean - ceilings, walls, windows, floors and carpets. The house can be repainted in neutral colors.
There is no need to stage the full house but it's indispensable to put attention on few rooms like - entrance, living room, dining room and a master bedroom.
Few pieces of furniture can be enough- there is no need to add a lot of furnishings-, but just to give a living idea with art and accessories and always keeping rooms decluttered and spacious.
Renting furniture on a short-term basis is a good plan. Being creative and adding some simple staging techniques will convert your empty house into a "home".

Over the next few months, existing-home sales are expected to hold steady as indicated by the pending sales activity, then rise later in the last part of 2008 and continue to improve in 2009, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®.

In efforts to curb the increase of foreclosures due to irresponsible lending practices and complicated mortgage products the government is allowing a modification of certain loans and/ or freezing the interest rates for up to five years.

The loan modification program is a good first step in helping deserving families keep their homes.

Forget previous years of RE glory- they are gone and this new year we have to start with a fresh outlook, use our resources and study plans on how we are going to get a good year up to an improved 2009. This year we will be faced with more challenges.

All the media and Press we have been hearing has been adverse and will most like continue to be throught the year.

Despite the stats and the news we have to turn that around and use it to our benefit. Professional Realtors are in demand by those that need us.

2008 Property Tax Exemption Filing Locations

The Property Appraisal Department is now accepting 2008 exemption applications from Wednesday, January 2nd through Monday, March 3rd.

2008

Property Tax Exemption

Filing Period

Wednesday, January 2nd - Monday, March 3rd

This is information regarding the New Tax Reform and gives you a better understanding of why you should vote.

State Legislature Passes New Tax Reform
The Florida Legislature, in a special session on October 30, 2007, approved a package of property tax reform proposals meant to provide relief to homestead-exempted homeowners, owners of second-homes, rental property owners and businesses.
Four major reforms are proposed:
1. EXPANDED HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION: Increase the current $25,000 Homestead Exemption by an additional $25,000 except on school board taxes. Estimated annual savings is up to $340 for this exemption.
2. PORTABILITY: Allow homeowners to transfer up to $500,000 of their Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation benefit to the new homestead.
3. CAP ON NON-HOMESTEAD PROPERTY: The assessed value for all other properties without a homestead exemption will be limited to a maximum 10% increase in a year.
4. TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY EXEMPTION: Businesses will be eligible for a $25,000 exemption on equipment such as computers, office furniture and fixtures. Estimated annual savings is up to $530 for this exemption.
Miami-Dade County Portable Save our Homes Benefit and Additional Homestead Calculator
IF THE JANUARY 29 TAX REFORM PACKAGE PASSES, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TRANSFER ALL OR PART OF YOUR ‘SAVE OUR HOMES' BENEFIT WHEN YOU MOVE. USE THIS CALCULATOR TO ESTIMATE THE POTENTIAL SAVINGS.

http://www.miamidade.gov/pa/tax_estimator/CapDiffNewTaxFinal.asp
Click on the link for the tax estimator calculator.