Shannon McGee

Fannie Mae and possibly Freddie Mac in the future are rolling out new guidelines to help new homebuyers along in the process. It will essentially allow new home buyers to use gifts and grants from nonprofit groups or family as 5% of their down payment. This will keep them from being required to use 5% of their own money as down payment, as was required previously. This will most likely boost sales among young couples and first time homebuyers who previously would have been unable to afford the down payment. It will allow them to get help from family or from a non-profit group that agrees to help them, and in a time of economic downturn it is a huge deal to be able to buy your own hoe rather than pay monthly rent for the next few years.

Of course there are a few restrictions, one of which being that it has to be a single family residence. So no beachside condos as included- sorry! They have also increased the number of years a person will be excluded from financing if they went through a foreclosure from 4 to 7 years.

But at least someone is looking out for the first time homebuyers who need a little help with their first home purchase! Live the American dream!

Having lived in beautiful Miami for my entire life, there is nowhere that I would rather be during the winter season than home. That being said, it seems like everyone else in the country feels the same way! During the months of November, December and early January, the streets are flooded with snowbirds, people off of work for the holidays and international and national tourists just trying to keep warm at the beach. Wouldn't it be nice to have a permanent condo or apartment that you could call your own every winter, rather than trying to book a hotel that will not be cheap or invading your families' home?

Right now is a great time to consider a winter home, with condo prices so low and mortgage rates even lower! By purchasing a wonderful, sunny home away from home, you are not only buying a great escape for yourself, but an extra income producer if you are smart enough to rent it out for the months you are not there. The return on investment is monetary and psychological- a great source of income as well as the best stress reliever. Don't miss a great opportunity to buy your dream escape plan in Miami for the holidays!

With the recent events in green innovations that are being built into newly designed homes, people are putting more emphasis on having "green homes." When comparing a home that has zero green appliances to a home that is decked out in the latest things the green home building movement has to offer, most people will definitely choose the green house even for a higher price. Consumers nowadays are much more environmentally conscious and understand the value of having a green home and a green life. This not only applies to benefits in their own lives but benefits for the environment in general.

Some of the newest innovations expose'd at the Greenbuild Expo in Chicago last week include:

· A two-plug outlet from ThinkEco that cuts power to plugged-in devices when they aren’t in use.
· AirRenew drywall from CertainTeed that cleans indoor air by capturing formaldehydes.
· A wind turbine from Honeywell that is quiet and operates at low speeds – good for generating power at home.
· Triple-pane windows from such well-known manufacturers as Anderson and Jeld-Wen

Let me illustrate a typical agent-to-agent scenario in Miami- and maybe even in your own hometown if this sounds familiar. You are setting up appointments for a client who really loves 5 homes, especially two that are in a neighborhood she's been dying to see. You try setting them up through showing request or by calling them. You leave messages, e-mails, voicemails at their office. No response. Three days later, only one person has gotten back to you! And in the eyes of your client, it is YOU that needs to pick up the slack because she or he is going to see these places with your help or on her own.

I constantly find myself trying to track down a realtor who will not answer me through any form of communication. I have even gone so far as to go to their office to see if they were there! My question is- if you are a listing agent, don't you want to sell the home??? It blows my mind that a listing agent can't "find the time' to just return an e-mail or a phone call. If it just so happens that the home currently has a contract pending or is in negotiation, just tell me and my client and I can move on and check back later! But at least give me a heads up so I am not chasing around a ghost!

This has happened to me so many times that it is hard to even count. I just wanted to A) vent about this and B) commiserate with anyone else out there who can never get in touch with a realtor to make an appointment for a listing.

As an agent, I believe it is a huge misfortune that someone has hired as their agent someone who isn't putting a 100% effort into selling their home. I know that when I have a listing, I answer every single call, e-mail and voicemail that comes to me. That is what I am being paid to do- keep my client's best interests in mind and set up appointments for a quick and efficient sale of a home. And this is how it should be.

Have you noticed lately that you are never telling your clients anything they don't know? Many consumers now either research everything online before they speak with you so they know what you should be doing for them; or they just think they know the answer to everything and therefore nothing you can say would make them believe otherwise. These pose many hurdles to overcome because for one thing, it definitely keeps realtors on their toes. I am not against the idea that consumers should be keeping tabs on their realtor to make sure he/she is doing their job. It can also help the realtor so they don't have to explain every step of the home buying or listing process. It does, however, become a bit frustrating when you are trying to explain the real situation to them, and they won't believe it because that is not what they read about it. Take Zillow.com, for example. It is great that consumers can look up homes and research them on their own to be up to date on the latest price range for homes in a certain area. But what about when that information is inaccurate and can give consumers the wrong idea? This poses a major problem because they would rather believe what they read online over the advice of their realtor. When this happens, frustration ensues.