Teri Eno, Melbourne FL Homes

Summer time in Florida -

We love the beaches, the river and all the outdoor activities - but have to admit it gets a little warm in July and August!

Good news is that the Real Estate market is heating up also and we're enjoying that increase in temperature!

Our inventory in south Brevard county has dropped from over 7,000 single family homes listed to just around 4,500 homes for sale. That's still a lot... but in time we'll level out and get back to a more balanced buyer and seller market.

In the meantime - "If you're lucky enough....."

Cheers!

Today’s “Price Driven” and “Bottom Line” market call for equally “Candid” counseling from Realtors to customers. This is a time for the professional Realtor to shine! This market is strenuous for both Buyers and Sellers. More than ever we must hone our counseling skills and guide our customers through the process.

BUYERS: Give it to ‘em straight! Help to keep emotions level and the focus on good decision making. If they’ve been sitting on the fence waiting for the bottom to hit they may miss opportunities. Unrealistic offers can cause the loss of a home of their dreams. Make them look in the mirror and decide: is their priority to “steal” a house or to find a great home?

SELLERS: Help them “Get Real”. This is not an easy time to be the messenger but that’s the doctrine of a true professional. Anything less than the truth is costing sellers $$$ each month as they try to outrun the avalanche of declining values. The perils of “testing the market” are many. You owe it to sellers to be absolutely honest about the need to clean, stage, and price their home correctly. Don’t let them down because the message is too painful to communicate.

REAL ESATE 101: We all learned these customer relationship and selling skills on day one of our careers. Nothing has really changed and we can’t afford to let a tough market throw us off course from the basics. The silver lining in a difficult market is that your successes are even more rewarding. Your customers respect and appreciate you so much more for helping them get through the tough times.

Celebrate your achievements!

We think we’re coming out of it in Brevard County, FL. During one of my transactions a few months ago the co-broke agent remarked to me that “every deal this year is like a root canal”. Funny but not so funny... and pretty darned true!

Sellers are suffering the decline of their home value. Buyers are suffering the indignity of lenders actually requiring documentation and, heaven forbid, some cash down. Agents are biting each other’s heads off after being whipped by their client’s chain of pain. Is there no end to the abuse?

It’s up to us to decide that we’ve all turned the corner. We’re on the move and we’ve nowhere to go but up! One of the positives during the past year has been the re-building of camaraderie between agents. We need each other - we need to help each other get through these times. Nothing has changed about our job descriptions: Good market or Tough Market - get you client through it. So share a smile (sans dental work) and a laugh when you can. Remember that everybody in the transaction is a human being with feelings. Lend a hand and soar in 2009!

We all know strict rules apply for our sellers with pets: GET RID of pets during showings! No odors, no fur, no pet food, and the biggest atrocity, no kitty litter !! For 15 years I've played the hard-hearted Broker with my sellers by enforcing the "hide your pets" policy. Everyone knows that buyers should NOT be distracted by pet odors or, heaven forbid, actual live pets wagging tails and jumping around!

Holy Meow Mix, the pet rules have suddenly changed. After 15 years in a "no pet" household we recently adopted 2 kittens from our local shelter. Funny how being owned by two crazy creatures can put a new slant on the whole "sellers with pets" policy! Who are these 4 legged monsters and how did they come to control every aspect of our day? One of them is even helping me to type this blog!

Looks like the tables have been turned and my "no pet" brutality act toward sellers is about to be revised! Guess I'll have to take a more sympathetic attitude toward humans owned by their creatures. Yikes - what if we decide to sell our home one day? We know what they say about paybacks.... Meow!

Hurricane Fay is dancing over Brevard County, Florida for the third day in a row. Actually a tropical storm, Fay is lingering like a long, 3 mile-per-hour slow dance - just not very enjoyable! Everyone is hunkered down, making soup and hypnotized by the weather reports on TV. In the past three days we've received nearly 24 inches of rain.

For anyone who grew up in northern states, this is like a snow day with schools and offices closed. One big difference is that we're not freezing in our homes if the power goes out! By day three, however, cabin fever will set in and even for kids the thrill will be gone!

Fortunately this storm is only mildly catastrophic for our area. Many roads are closed due to flooding and some large trees have blown down. The National Guard has been activated and is busy evacuating people flooded from their homes. Many will have yard debris (and more) to clean up. This time we're lucky. Clean up will be a painful chore and then we'll be back to our normal routines.

Keep your fingers crossed. The height of "hurricane season" arrives in September. Memories of recent horrific hurricane damage along the gulf coast and other areas in Florida are still very strong. Our goal is to appreciate every minute of the good days and to "be prepared" for the others!