Mindy Sylvester Naples Fl Real Estate

I was so honored this year to be chosen as one of Gulfshore Business' 40 under 40 for outstanding achievements and contribution to the community! While I'm still not exactly sure how I was in the company of some of the other amazing nominees, it was a fun and exciting experience! The event they had for us was one of the coolest events I've ever been to in Naples! They had an MTV dance crew, a graffiti artist, Guitar Hero and an amazing DJ! Very hip and very cool - you almost felt like you were in South Beach for a minute.

I did manage to pull the glow sticks out of the centerpiece and show "my moves" to my friends. It really just confirmed that I wasn't chosen because of my dance skills. It's nice to be recognized for your achievements and Gulfshore Business is one of my favorite publications, so I'm super psyched! I'm thankful to be able to do what I love and help as many people as I can buying or selling real estate in Naples, Florida and Chicago!

I was thrilled to get a call from one of my seller's last week to announce to me that he is offering seller financing on his $2.7 million and $2.95 homes in Olde Naples, Fl. He is offering NO payments and NO interest for ONE year with the option to extend it for ANOTHER YEAR with 20% down! How amazing is that!?

What a great way to live just 3 blocks from one of the most beautiful beaches in the country and not make a payment for 2 years!!! Despite the craziness in the market the past couple of weeks, we've really had some activity on it! It's a great way for a buyer to be able to pull the trigger, yet not have to part with too much cash or deal with getting a loan from a bank.

It's not sold yet, but I'm confident it won't be long. With the prime location and quality workmanship, this beauty will be someone's winter paradise before long!

I know what you're thinking...she's crazy! It's the worst market in years - how could she say this is the best time to sell real estate!? Well, it's TRUE if you think about it for a second...and if you truly are a skilled agent.

Now is the best time in history to be a Realtor because sellers need us more than ever. Gone are the days when a seller would put up a for sale sign at noon and have a contract by 5:00. The last statistic I read from the National Association of Realtors was that 6% of all for sale by owners actually sold. I would have to venture to say that the number is significantly lower these days.

Of course, homes are harder to sell, but there are still homes selling every single day. Sellers need a skilled agent more than ever! Many sellers are frustrated with the market and need your knowledge and guidance. The number of deals falling apart is higher than ever so they need a professional to take them through to closing

In Naples, we had over 2200 listings expire in the past 90 days. That means there were over 2200 sellers that wanted to sell, but couldn't. It's our job, as professional agents, to continue to find those sellers that really need to sell and keep them educated and informed on what they need to do. If the condition and price are right, then it will sell. Don't be one of the agents who just gives up and blames the market. Concentrate on the homes that are selling and stay positive.

Some of you may think the Law of Attraction is a hokie way of thinking positive but I'm hear to tell you that it's not. I first started practicing the Law of Attraction a couple of years ago when the Chicago Bears were going to the Superbowl in Miami. I have been a Bears fan since I was 10 years old and it they hadn't been to the Superbowl since 1985. I knew I couldn't wait another 20 years so I had to figure out a way to see them this time. And living in Naples made it easier - it was just a 2 hour drive.

So, what do I do? Pay $4000-$5000 per ticket to sit in the nosebleed section? That was an option, but not what I really wanted to do. So, I started practicing the Law of Attraction. Every single day I visualized myself sitting there at the game. I visualized what I was wearing, how excited I was, and who I'd see there. Whenever the phone rang, I would say, "Oh, those must be my Superbowl tickets." Every night before I went to bed that's what I thought about - for almost 2 weeks.

It was looking a little grim the Wednesday before the Superbowl but I didn't give up. I met with a client and told him that I'd have to cancel our Monday appointment because I wouldn't be back from the game in time. He replied, "Oh great! How'd you get tickets?" When i told him that I didn't actually have any yet, he looked at me like I was crazy. I was kind of starting to believe it myself but knew I had to be there to witness Devin Hester, Brian Urlacher and Rex Grossman in person. I had to - so I kept on believing!

The next morning my phone range and it was my best friend, Lew. She said, "Girl, pack your bags. My boyfriend got us Superbowl tickets!" Oh, and let me add, not only did he get us tickets, he got us BOX SEATS! So I sat in a box and got to see Ashton Kutcher, Justin Timberlake, Bob Costas, Kevin Butler...you name it, they were right in front of me. We also were invited to the NFL Network party and a host of others. It was amazing. So amazing, that the fact that the Bears got totally killed didn't even bum me out too bad.

So, by this time I was totally convinced that the L.O.A. totally worked, so I decided to manifest a listing in Port Royal in Naples. (Homes start at $4.0 million and go to $30 million). I did the same thing - visualize, visualize, visualize - and of course believe! Within 2 weeks, I am riding my bike with a client who lives in Port Royal and out of the blue he asked me, "Mindy, do you think you could sell my house for me?" Well, after I picked myself up off the side of the road from wrecking, I said, "of course". There again, the L.O.A. and now I have a $5.5 million dollar listing. The incredible thing was, the owner just moved there 2 years ago and told me at that time he planned to stay there for life.

You probably can figure out that, of course, I used the LOA and sold that house - oh yeah, and found him a $3 million one. I could go on and on about the other instances, but I think you get the idea.

The Law of Attraction is not new, Naplolean Hill and Normal Vincent Peale have been writing about it since the early 1900's - though they called it the Power of Positive Thinking. Call it what you want - just do it! It works!!

Is the number of foreclosure properties in Naples dwindling? It seems so - at least in certain areas. Two months ago I had a client looking for foreclosures in a specific area and at the time we had 10-12 great deals for her. She liked a couple of them, but just wasn’t ready to buy, so she waited. Well, now she’s ready to buy, but all the foreclosure properties she looked at are under contract already. I did a search for new ones in here price range and there are only 2!!

What does this mean for Naples homeowners? I think it means that buyers are scooping up the deals that are out there and if they wait too much longer, then they’re going to miss the boat!!

Earlier this year, I made 3 offers on 3 different foreclosure properties - they were all full price offers, and we didn’t get any of them. They all sold for above full price! I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we’re back in the day of 2005 when you have to offer above full price in order to get a home, but for foreclosures and really great deals, sometimes you do!

Do I know when the market is going to pick up? Not exactly - no one does. I do know that right now there are homes in Naples that are priced lower than they were in 2000 in some areas and if you’re looking for a long term investment, there may never be a better time to buy real estate!