Richard Stephan

Home buyer tax credit set to expire this week

If you're trying to get the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit or the $6,500 credit for certain repeat buyers, this shouldn't be news to you: Your deadline is Friday. That's the last day you can enter into a binding contract, as the IRS puts it, and still qualify.

That's not the only thing you'll need to do to qualify, naturally. You can check the list on the IRS site:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=187935,00.html

I'm interested in hearing from buyers in Celebration, Fl who are trying to get under contract before the credit clock runs out. (And, for that matter, anyone purposely waiting until afterward to look.) You can send me an email at Richard@TonyDavidsHomes.com


Richard A. Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Licensed REALTOR®, e- PRO®, TRC

TonyDavidsHomes.com LLC
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, Florida 34747 / USA
Mobile: +1 - 407 - 433 - 8702
Fax : +1 - 407 - 624 - 4855
Office: +1 - 321 - 559 - 1145
Office Website: http://TonyDavidsHomes.com
My Website: http://RichardStephanRealtor.com
Mailto: Richard@TonyDavidsHomes.com

The New Year 2010 has started - and how did it start in Celebration:

We barely had time to wish 2009 a farewell and to start thinking about 2010 as a wave of REO's (Bank owned properties) hit the MLS. All of a sudden, there were a few very low priced properties available to buy - without the hassle of the many Short Sales. A little Gold Rush started.

At every REO I showed since January, I had the pleasure of meeting my fellow Celebration and out of Celebration Realtors with their Clients showing the same properties. This of course showed the buyers, that time is of essence and many of the REO's had multiple offers within days.

So buyers, who would like to buy one of these homes, need to work very closely with their Realtors. The Realtor has to inform them the day the listing hits the market. They should look at the home the same day. They have to have the downpayment available to transfer immediately and if they are not cash buyers (which they should to really have a chance) a preapproval has to be in place. If the property appeals, the offer has to be written and presented immediately.

I just closed for a client on one REO without getting into a bidding war, by offering full price cash the day the listing agent dropped the price by another $100K.

Here the REO's that sold or went under contract in Celebration only in January 2010:

Of these 20 Homes, five went pending within 10 days! These were only REO's - there was a lot more selling going on in January! While I am writing this blog, we only have 219 properties for sale. That is only 5.4% of all Celebration properties. Is this still a buyers market?

So if you are ready to buy one of these Real Estate opportunities in Celebration, talk to your Realtor now! If you are not already working with a Realtor - talk to me!

See you soon!
Richard

Dipl.-Ing.
Richard A. Stephan
Licensed REALTOR®, e-PRO®, TRC
TonyDavidsHomes.com LLC
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, Florida 34747 / USA
Mobile: +1 - 407 - 433 - 8702
Fax : +1 - 407 - 624 - 4855
My Website: www.RichardStephanRealtor.com
Office Website: http://TonyDavidsHomes.com
Mail To: blog@RichardStephanRealtor.com

First: I love my Nokia PDA. It is a great phone. It does everything I want from a phone: E-Mail, Web browsing, Tethering even SIP-Telephony without a glitch. Fun stuff also like Google Latitude, always letting my family know where I am. Google Earth and a lot more.

I tried the first iPhone years ago. After a few days I gave it to my daughter. Too many things I loved on my Nokia PDA, it could but would not do (because of some agreements between Apple and At&T).

Then last weekend everything changed:

I drove with a client to look at a home in an area where they would love to move to, but were not able to find the right home. We looked at this home, but sure enough there where to many issues that did not fit their criteria. So we looked around for other homes for sale in the area.

I was prepared. I had my notebook connected via Bluetooth with my Nokia to the Internet (Tethering). I am a technology freak. Always up to date! Not many of the Realtors I know would even try this on the road.

So I thought.....

We found a home that looked interesting, so I started entering the address into the MLS when my Client, playing with his iPhone, read out loud all the info of the home: Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Sqft, sale price. I wasn't even finished typing in the address. Then he showed me pictures of the inside on his iPhone.

Now I just found myself in the stone age of technology! 5min ago I thought I was at the cutting edge. Wow what a feeling.

Things like that happen to me only one time!

Back home I ordered the new iPhone 3G S online. I also bought a device to mount it in my car like a navigator.

Now I am back in the game and wonder how I survived without this device. I always have Zillow activated, so while I drive through town, I can see the real estate information about the homes I am passing automatically. The built in GPS follows my route and shows me the homes around me without any interaction with the phone. If I am interested in a home, I tap my finger on the home and receive more details and in many cases pictures from the inside. What a great tool to have, and now I am impressing my clients!

Looking forward to show you homes in the area and being able to answer your questions about every home, even if I don't know all the details. I just look them up right then and there!

See you soon!
Richard

Dipl.-Ing.
Richard A. Stephan
Licensed Realtor®, e-PRO®, TRC
TonyDavidsHomes.com LLC
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, Florida 34747 / USA
Mobile: +1 - 407 - 433 - 8702
Fax : +1 - 407 - 624 - 4855
My Website: www.RichardStephanRealtor.com
Office Website: http://TonyDavidsHomes.com
Mail To: blog@RichardStephanRealtor.com

Good Morning!

It is Easter in Celebration, FL., the birds are chirping, its sunny and warm and beautiful outside. (Well, it is beautiful most of the time here – but Easter makes it even nicer!)

People are out looking at the homes for sale here in Celebration and the surrounding Central Florida area… and there is no better time of the year and no better time in our economy than right now to be searching for a home for sale. The down turn in our economy has created the perfect storm here in Florida. It has reduced values to the point that you can own a larger home and pay even less. With interest rates at a 50 plus year low the monthly payment on your home is going to be even more affordable.

OK… I am stating the obvious but let’s look at a few things that are holding some people back when it comes to searching Florida Homes For Sale

The problem that I see in a time like this not only here in Celebration and the surrounding Central Florida area but across the U.S. is that during this uncertain economic time people act out of fear and confusion. If everyone took the time to think it through, they would see the following points… not only here in Florida but any location.

Here are the points…

- Homes are down in value while the cost of materials to build a home here in Florida have stayed constant or risen.
Thinking logically… It is a good time to buy a home because the cost to build the same home would be more even if it is only a couple years old!

-Interest rates are at a 50 plus year low!
Thinking logically… if you were to buy a Celebration, Fl. home that is for sale today the payment would be lower than any other time in the last 13 years

-The U.S. WILL start experiencing inflation due to all of the money that we are printing to pay for the Trillion Dollar stimulus and the massive budget that was just passed.
Thinking logically… you want to lock in a fixed interest rate immediately on the home you buy here in Central Florida because when the inflation starts to inch up it will drive up the cost to build homes and in turn increase the value of all homes. During the increase in inflation it will most likely cause an increase in interest rates.

If you consider the three points above, take the emotion of the fear and confusion out of it and think logically. This is the best time to buy a home, not only in Celebration and the surrounding Central Florida area, but anywhere in the U.S. and probably Canada.

This certainly is the perfect storm… if you are in the business of helping people purchase a home then take these three points to them in a logical manner… take the confusion and emotion out of it (It’s hard to do, because every time you turn on the news, that is all you here… the sky is falling) and lay out why, if they are going to want to move up to another home in the next 15 years, now is the time buy that home.

Happy Easter!
Richard

Dipl.-Ing.
Richard A. Stephan
Licensed Realtor®, e-PRO®, TRC
TonyDavidsHomes.com LLC
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, Florida 34747 / USA
Mobile: +1 - 407 - 433 - 8702
Fax : +1 - 407 - 624 - 4855
My Website: www.RichardStephanRealtor.com
Office Website: http://TonyDavidsHomes.com
Mail To: blog@RichardStephanRealtor.com

Every parent has heard this question a thousand times. You start for a longer drive with your kids and five (or less) minutes into the drive the unavoidable question comes: are we there yet? Well, as a parent you may answer: yes - even knowing that there are at least two more hours to drive. Your experience tells you that any other answer will upset the child and lead to all kinds of problems. With this answer you know you have at least another five quit minutes until the question comes up again.

In the world of adults there are situations often comparable. You can take the easy path like the above or the hard way like Peter Schiff who in 2006 already told the world that the housing and credit crisis is coming:

Wow, was he right and for all the others that laughed at him: I hope they changed their profession in the meantime!

Now what has all this to do with Real Estate? Well, our clients are asking us the same question: Are we there yet? Meaning: have we reached the bottom already. At this point we as professionals are not allowed to take the easy path of a parent seeking another 5 minutes peace of mind. We have to know our specific market and give good advice. I have my finger on my farming area which is besides other nearby areas focused on Celebration,Fl.

My answer right now is like this:

Every area is different: Celebration is very special, many people dream of living here and it is built out so there are no new homes added to the inventory.

The Celebration market is split now, the homes priced under 200 US$/sqf up to 400.000 US$ are seeing a run now. Obviously a lot of investors, second home buyers and first home buyers are taking advantage of the market and are realizing that these prices are already very low. I see a strong surge of homes going into pending since early this year. 2 Condos just went from listed to pending within 10 days!

Bigger homes over 500.000 US$ are also selling if they are priced right. There are homes in good condition priced under 200 US$/sqf. In good locations they are also selling after a couple of month. Homes over 200US$/sqf have to be in the best locations and have to be built with all bells and whistles.

Estate Homes can reach selling prices of up to 350 US$/sqf if they are top notch and on the golf course or a lake or at the downtown parks.

(Yes, there are always exceptional homes and sale prices. The information listed above is based on actual sales during the last 6 month)

Summary:

Not all homes have reached the bottom yet and the asking prices are also not the bottom but very often the sale prices are. I am not recommending anybody to wait for a bottom anymore. If you find a home you like with your buying agent, make the offer. Most offers will be considered and the price you end up with may well be the bottom price you are looking for. If you wait, somebody else will make the offer and that home will be gone! And remember: when you know the bottom is reached, you already missed it!

So to all buyers interested in Celebration: put your buyers agent to work, find the right property and have him prepare the offer to present to the seller.

Looking forward to represent you on your search in Celebration or the surrounding areas!

Best Regards
Richard

Dipl.-Ing.
Richard A. Stephan
Licensed Realtor®, e-PRO®, TRC
TonyDavidsHomes.com LLC
1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200
Celebration, Florida 34747 / USA
Mobile: +1 - 407 - 433 - 8702
Fax : +1 - 407 - 624 - 4855
My Website: www.RichardStephanRealtor.com
Office Website: http://TonyDavidsHomes.com
Mail To: blog@RichardStephanRealtor.com