As many of you know, I have been living in - and selling real estate in - Boca Raton, Florida for the last 5 years. I was lucky that many of my fellow realtors from NY and loyal customers and clients sent me enough business to keep me pretty busy.
But after about 3 years I started to miss my "home" here in Rockland County. I missed the climate change, the chilly weather ( and the clothes you get to wear when the weather is cool) and I thought "if I see one more 95 degree day, every day for about 9 months, I will scream!"
So I arranged to come back to where I belong. I was welcomed by my friends and family, of course and my fellow realtors. It is my wonderful clients and customers who have become like extended to me since 1990 that still remain to be "notified" of this turn of events! I hope they will welcome me back too!
Email or call me to say "Welcome Back!"
nancyvalene@gmail.com
I entered the Real Estate business for the first time in Los Angeles, California in the late 1970's. I had a couple of "normal" years where prices were attainable, on the rise and things moved along nicely. Then, somewhere around 1980 or so interest rates reached 16,17, 18% and no one could sell a house. We got creative -- every office meeting and training session talked about "creative financing", owner financing, wrap-around mortgages and whatever it took to make a sale. No matter what, the prices soared to where a small, modest home in a great area was hovering near $1 million -- even then!
I mention this to show how I have experienced it ALL in my over 20 years in Real Estate. After working in LA for 7 years I moved to my home area of the NY suburbs and everything there was a downright STEAL compared to where I came from. From the mid-1980's to 2002 I saw prices rise - first slowly, then fast. But when the turnaround came their prices didn't crash like Florida! So what is going on here??
Right now a house that would have sold in 24 hours for $500,00 is now somewhere around $350,000! Some second home properties that people were grabbing up like M&M's in '03,'04 and '05 started going down in '06. So, okay we thought that was IT! As an example, I sold a villa to someone in '06 for $172,000. The previous year that complex was selling for $230,000 so my buyer (and I) thought she got a great buy! Surprise! When I got a call from said buyer in '08 saying "I made a mistake, I don't like it here, I want to sell," I calmly checked the comps in her community - only to find that anxious sellers (and there were LOTS of them in this small development) were selling for $130,000!! What's a Realtor to do? My best advice was "STAY HERE" as long as you don't "need to sell."
The story is the same all over. It's not only the people who are going into foreclosure that are in trouble. The move-up or move-down market is stalled too. How can you buy when you can't sell?? That's the cry around here lately. What I can't figure out is where are the Northerners who want a second home at a bargain price? How come they wanted houses when prices were soaring? This is the greatest time to buy in the recent history of Palm Beach County!! I'd love to hear the thoughts of people - agents, buyers or sellers on this subject.
I am an award-winning & top-producing agent for over 23 years with 15+ years experience in Rockland County. I am known for my patience, customer focus and relentless ability to find just the right hom
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