TeamWorks FLA is Joanne Owens and her team of specialists at Keller Williams Realty

Mansion meaning on the Atlantic coast

2011-12-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

I'm not an economist or one or the great guru of all things real estate.

I read a lot about the market in our area and keep abreast of the news but often my best indication of market shifts is keeping my eyes open.

I recently took Realtor friends for a drive down the A1A along the Atlantic coast starting along the West Palm Beach area.

For miles we saw mansions of course in this playground for the the well heeled.

What we also saw was massive renovations and new mansions going up. More than a dozen. We also saw condominiums being constructed. Not abandoned projects.

We are talking probably multi-million dollar projects. The land alone is worth millions.

It may not be the trickle down theory but when I see new mansions going up in an area like that it makes you start to think there is a wave of new interest in real estate in this winter wonderland of Florida.

The fall cometh time to get ready to sell

2011-08-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Summertime is historically the slow season for homes sales in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Many potential sellers are waiting for the winter tourist season to start before putting their home on the market.

Actually the time to start preparing your home to sell is right now.

Get a Realtor to walk with you through your home like you were a buyer. Start at the outside looking at the curb appeal and move in to the home.

Look at the landscaping that needs sprucing up. The painting you have been putting off and yes start that declutter and depersonalize process.

Another idea is to have a professional home inspection done before you put the home on the market.

That way a seller can get in front of some of those objections that come up during the buyers home inspections process.

The reason you want to start doing this now is by the time you get through this process it will be time to get your home listed and on the market for tourist season.

Our northern brethern start scouring the internet for their Florida dream home as the cool fall evenings roll in.

That means as a seller you want everything in tip top shape and listed before Thanksgiving comes around so you are ahead of the competition.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

Welcome to the real, real estate world

2011-06-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

What is key to successful buyer transactions in this shifting market.

Managing expectations.

Why do some buyers walk away feeling like they missed out. See above.

Here is the key to success right now.

Despite what our nothern brethern has read in their local paper or on the internet you are not going to get a beach front mansion for under lets say 200k not even close.

In fact even at the worst of the great recession you probably weren't going to get the sand for that much in the Sarasota/Manatee area.

Much of what our buyer agents are focusing on is sitting buyer's down and going through what they can really get for their dollar as opposed to what they think or read they could get for their dollar.

Setting the realistic expectations helps everyone achieve their goal.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

Why we live here

2011-06-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

I sometimes forget how special our communities of Sarasota and Manatee are. All the sunshine and water becomes just becomes a daily routine.

Then you have those really? From here? moments.

Maria Sharapova and Sabine Lisicki, both of whom were trained at IMG Academies in Bradenton, were at Wimbledon in a semifinal match.

Yep. Our community has world class tennis players, world class figure skaters all sorts of folks who are at the top of their game.

It isn't just retirees and beaches. Although that is a great reason to be here.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

We passed the bottom

2011-06-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

For statistical types out there who are gauging the market, waiting to jump in etc. here is hint. 08/09.

That would be the time in the Sarasota/Manatee single family home market when inventory was high and sales were really low.

Yep, prices have continued to drop since then in some areas not all. You are seeing for instance stable pricing in the island areas and in some areas price increases.

You are also seeing builders going crazy trying to keep up on demand.

How does this all come together. Since 08/09 inventory has continued to drop along with prices.

The cycle of market recovery has begun. Which means fewer choices for buyers who now are looking at the incredible prices they can get on new construction filling the lack of inventory on the market.

For buyers. The bottom has passed. Quite a bit ago. The question now is for buyers do you want to jump in now or wait for prices to go higher?

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

We are entering the stable

2011-06-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, even the local media in Sarasota and Manatee are reporting it. We have entered a stable market. Not a buyers or a seller's market (for now) a stable market.

Single family home inventory is hoovering around a six month supply which is a stable market. It favors neither buyer nor seller. You need to keep in mind stable markets traditionally last only short period of time which means we are headed for a weak seller's market.

Prices are down a bit but get this. For the first time in five years the number of pending homes on the market crossed over the number of new listings according to Trendgraphix.

So to recap pendngs are up, new listings down, lowest amount of inventory in five years. Sound like a market shift to you?

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

Only the Shadow knows

2011-06-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

For months real estate agents and other property gurus have been going on about the "Shadow Inventory" of thousands upon thousands of foreclosed homes going to hit our market any day.

The premise is this "Shadow Inventory" will hit us like another Tsunami and knock the market back down.

Bunk. Yes I say bunk.

First it is taking up to two years for lenders to foreclose on homes. For the ones caught in the "Robosigning" scandal they may even have to start all over again with their files.

This means many of these homes will tied up a long time clearing up legal issues and will likely trickel out as opposed to a flood.

The lenders are also getting smarter they are starting to ask their clients to short sell their homes before foreclosing. Time, money and a backlogged court system are pushing the lenders to quicken the pace of short sales as opposed to the lengthy process of foreclosures.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

And so it begins

2011-06-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

A recent news article in the South Florida Sun Sentinal points out that Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase are offering cash to some clients to encourage them to short sell their home instead of going in to foreclosure.

It appears big lenders are waking up to the fact the foreclosure process is taking longer and longer and that the cost to foreclose far outweighs a short sale.

This is a giant leap forward and if it catches on with all the lenders will clear up the backlog of distress properties a lot quicker.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com

Get your financial house in order

2011-06-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I have had several instances of people trying to buy homes after short selling a home in the not too distant past.

They had gone out with another agent; found a house they wanted; got to a loan officer; and found out that they would not buying a home for at least two years following the short sale.

Before going home shopping you need to get a pre-approval for a loan.

Hopping in a car with an agent and hoping you can get a loan when you find the house of your dreams is not a plan. It is wishful thinking.

Getting your pre-approval letter in hand after your credit has been checked and you have all your paperwork in order with the loan officer is a plan.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Questions for your loan officer

2011-06-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

When you go to get a home loan here is a helpful hint.

Question everything.

When it comes to FHA programs some lenders have what are called overlays. Rules they have added on top of the FHA rules.

For instance if a loan officer tells you that you need a stove/range in a house in order to get FHA approval for the loan ask why.

This is not an FHA rule.

This is the lenders rule layed on top of the FHA rules.

Bottom line question your loan officer when it comes to USDA and FHA. Ask them if this is the loan companies rule or FHA and if it is FHA ask them to show you the rule.

FHA has both 1-800 number and a website the loan officer can look the information up on.

All the best

Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

Market update

2011-06-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Market update for everyone out there.

Sarasota and Manatee counties. Headed to a neutral market or in a neutral market.

This is great. Here's why.

Above seven months of inventory it is a buyer's market. Below five months of inventory a seller's market.

We have been a strong buyer's market for years now. We plummetted long before most of the country.

Inventory is down in the neutral range for single family homes in our area. For foreclosures we have less than a month of inventory. Which is a strong seller's market.

We are headed in the right direction for prices to start to recover.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

Myth information

2011-06-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest myths in the market for homebuyers is actually spread by loan officers.

It goes like this. Does a home require a stove to get FHA financing?

The correct answer is NO.

You will find a number of loan officers who say YES. Why? Because their lending institution requires it not FHA.

Below is the answer straight out of the FHA handbook:

Neither a new home nor an existing home has to have a stove in order to be eligible for FHA financing.

Handbook 4905.1 REV1, Section 2-5'

So if the home you are buying doesn't have a stove and you want FHA financing use a lender that will do the loan without that requirement.

If you can't find one we can recommend one.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksproperties.com

They call it the streak

2011-05-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Zip. What was that?

That was foreclosure property on and off the market in a matter of hours.

That is how fast they are moving.

The good news is their are fewer and fewer on the market in Sarasota and Manatee counties which means more buyers will be looking at regular sales and short sales.

Remember national statistics show 70 percent of homeowners don't even try to short sale their home before it goes in to foreclosure.

We need to stop that madness. There are a large number of reasons not to go in to foreclosure.

For regular sellers, well prices are not going up, but again the number of distress properties to compete with are diminishing.

If you need to sell the opportunities are improving.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

We are in the commercial zone

2011-05-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yep.

Teamworks has started its own commercial real estate team.

Using the expertise of agents brought on with commercial experience and adding our own expertise at selling property we have launched a commercial division for Teamworks.

We now have several foreclosure, short sale and equity sale commercial real estate for your associates to purchase.

You know us for being the top of the game in residential, we are headed to the top of the game for commercial real estate.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Thanks again to our clients

2011-05-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you again to our current clients and to you our future clients.

Through you we are now in the top 175 teams for all of Keller Williams Realty across the U.S. and Canada

Within Keller Williams there are 4573 teams and more than 80,000 agents.

Our goal is to be number to be one and the number one choice for your our clients, your friends, your families and your associates.

Thank you again.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworkslfa.com
www.teamworksfla.com

A new era in distress properties: Commercial

2011-05-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

We are entering a new wave of foreclosures and short sales.

Not houses this time. Commercial buildings.

As the commercial loans begin to reset the lenders are starting to see an influx of commercial property loan defaults.

Not unlike the residential crisis in Manatee and Sarasota we are starting to see commercial short sales and foreclosures begin to climb.

Some pundits say this is either going to be minor or not an issue.

I beg to differ.

We have seen a number of commercial foreclosures come across our desk and are told more are on their way.

We are seeing clients looking to short sale their offices instead of being foreclosed on.

Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Short sale vs foreclosure

2011-04-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

There is amazing national statistics.

Most homeowners, 70 percent nationally, don't even try to short sell their home before it goes in to foreclosure.

In a state such as Florida where more than 50 percent of homeowners are upside down in their home it doesn't make sense.

There are teams such as ours that focus on helping homeowners short sell their home.

The advantage is less of a hit on their credit and possibly negotiating with the lender to get them out of their home without taking a large financial hit or further credit or debt consquences.

We are starting to hear horror stories of people who went in to foreclosure and now the lender has sold their note to a collection agency.

With a short sale we are seeing clients two years later back in the housing market taking advantage of those great prices.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Foreclosure forlorn

2011-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Where Oh Where have those foreclosures.

According to Trendgraphix there is less than a month inventory of foreclosure properties in Sarasota to be exact .9 of a month.

For Manatee there is a one month inventory of foreclosure properties on the market based on closed sales for March.

In reality that means that foreclosure properties are becoming scarce and when they do hit the market they move fast.

Think on some seven or more offers in a day.

When your agent says you need to put in an offer at or above list price on a hot foreclosure they are not kidding you.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Deals that appeal

2011-04-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

Here are several reasons to keep in touch with Teamworks

We have five developers we represent that we can help you find a new home deal with.

We have a large inventory of short sales and foreclosure homes we can help you find a deal with.

We have equity or conventional sellers we can help you find a deal with.

Our team sold more than 100 homes last year due to our great clients.

We know how to sell homes. We know how to find homes.

We're here to assist you, your family and your friends.

Relax. We'll do the Work.

Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The foreclosure game

2011-04-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

If you are going to play the foreclosure game here are a few ideas that may help you get that investment home or dream home.

One rule a thumb is if a home goes on the market in The Sarasota, Manatee or Charlotte County areas for lets say 30k you want to put an offer in faster than a speeding bullet and offer full price or more.

The reason is every other investor or potential homeowner is waiting for the same home to come on the market.

If you put in a low offer hoping to for a counter you will likely hear something from your agent about you lost out as there were multiple offers.

Another bit of insight a number of lenders stick to their appraisals for the first 90 days the home is on the market.

So if a foreclosure home looks overpriced for the market and is not selling if you wait out the first 90 days.

If you make a very low offer on that home where you think it should be priced the offer will likely be rejected, not countered, rejected.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Rescue me

2011-04-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well after years of harping on about the down market.

Pssst. I have news for you it is getting hot out there.

Houses are moving we're talking a 19 percent increase in February.

Yes the median home price fell for Sarasota and Manatee. That is why homes are moving.

With prices down buyers feel better about buying there Florida dream home.

We still have a number of equity or conventional sellers chasing the market down.

Then again for many they are pricing their homes to match the market which means those homes are selling.

We are still going to be in to foreclosures and short sales for the foreseeable future. Which means prices are not going to start moving upward until that inventory is gone.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

A rocky road ahead

2011-03-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Yes all real estate is local.

In Manatee and Sarasota we are seeing a very interesting market.

Sales up, prices down or is it going to go the other way?

This is considered tourist season so we are seeing the usual increase in sales.

What is perplexing is inventory is down and average prices continue to fall.

The number of foreclosures are falling and at the same time almost 50 percent of homes are underwater, where the owners owe more than they are worth.

It all adds up to the market is continuing to try and find a balance.

We are not seeing the same free fall in prices as before and the continued sales and drop in the inventory is a healthy sign.

It may take several more months if not longer for the market to find a hard bottom and start bouncing back fortunately so it appears that is going to happen.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksrealestate.com

Water, water everywhere really an artists dream

2011-03-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

Think privacy.

Think seclusion.

Think artist studio.

We have Key West style home with more than 10 acres of land along the Manatee River.

A canal for your boat and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.

The house has elevated walkways to your own artists studio.

The very private setting can be divided up if you want to have family or friends living in your own secluded compound.

This is a place of serenity.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksrealestate.com

Hidden gems

2011-03-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

Just north of Palmetto is a amazing community nestled away right next to Terra Ceia Bay.

Brand new condomimiums with sunset views for all units.

A little higher up than the first level and you can views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Want a little extra. Available end units come with balconies front and back so you can enjoy sunrise views of the golf course.

Great values with great views in this gated golf course community.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksrealestate.com

Dream homes, with dream pricing

2011-03-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yea, you got it.

Parrish, brand new homes, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, in the prestigious Lexington subdivision.

We're talking more than 2,800 square feet under air conditioning for less than $230,000.

Teamworks in conjunction with Suarez Housing is offering these beautiful homes in this very desirable location.

You don't like the models? No problem. We will build to suit, and get this, we are talking contract to finished product in 120 days.

An outlet mall nearby, a new grocery store just down the road, a waterpark and fantastic access only minutes away to major throughfares to place north or south.

Welcome to the new world.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksrealestate.com

Paradise found

2011-03-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Psst! Get this.

Teamworks is representing the The Palms at Riviera Dunes.

More than 40 luxury condo units overlooking the Manatee River starting at $199k.

From the balconies you have sunrise to sunset views.

What an opportunity to own your slice of paradise.

Think cabana's, a new pool, gated complex, close to all amneties, several marinas nearby and so much more.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksrealestate.com

We're tooting our horn for our clients!

2011-03-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

A big thank you, thank you, thank you to all our current clients and future clients.

Teamworks is now one of the top real estate teams in all of Manatee County for volume and units sold.

We are now working on repeating that success in Sarasota county.

We have also expanded our services to Hernando, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Charlotte, Desoto, Hardee and Lee counties.

Our success is based on our clients who continue to use our services and refer us their associates.

Also Keller Williams Realty, which we are proud member of, is now the #2 real estate company in all of the United States.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The wonders of downtown Sarasota

2011-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

Downtown Sarasota might be old hat to many of you.

We recently opened a new office off of S. Orange Avenue and I have rediscovered the joy of walking.

The Burns Court Theatre is around the corner. Marina Jack is a couple of blocks away.

Just about every type of restaurant you can imagine is a couple of blocks away.

A farmer's market on the weekend that never ceases to amaze me.

People walking their dogs everywhere.

Nightlife.

Live theatre nearby.

There is a positive energy flowing through the area.

You can hear languages from around the world as you walk along the downtown streets.

This isn't an area where you feel like the glass is half empty, this an area where you feel it is more than half full and rising.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The rent alternative

2011-01-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

So you can't sell your home in Manatee or Sarasota without taking a big unaffordable loss.

You don't want to short sell your house because you need your credit rating to stay intact.

Think about renting out your home.

No, you don't have to do the hands on work. There are a number of reputable property management companies in the area who can make it hassle free and they are looking for homes.

Three bedroom, two bathroom homes are a very popular rental item right now.

You may not make money on the rental, you may break even or take a slight loss every month.

But if you can afford to ride out the downtown in our housing market by renting out your home why not take advantage of that market.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Selling price

2011-01-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

Enough about short sales and foreclosures lets talk equity sellers.

In Manatee and Sarasota counties there are still close to 50 percent of homes being sold that are not distress sales.

The key to any of this is not marketing, not incentives, it is price. It is all about price.

Buyers are arriving daily in our area and they are looking for the bargains they keep reading and hearin about in the media.

For equity sellers, those who own their home outright are who owe less than than the market value, there are a couple of key items to look at.

One of the most recent economic reports for our region shows that homeowners on average have lost about nine years of equity in their homes.

That should give you a good idea of a starting point of where your home should be priced.

If their are a lot of foreclosures and short sales in your area they are your competition.

The distress homes may look a bit less desirable but think of this if you are for example 20 percent higher in asking price than the distress sales, a buyer can do a lot of renovating and cleaning for the price difference.

You are not giving it away. The market dictates what homes are worth and what buyers are willing to pay is what the market is all about.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Rising market confidence

2011-01-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

If you are wondering where the sign is that the real estate market in Sarasota and Manatee is starting to recover look no farther than the builders.

The smoke from the builders who lost in the downturn is starting to clear.

And incoming are builders who are snapping up the best values. They can now build houses again at pre boom prices do to land values being so inexpensive.

In some cases we are talking well under $100 per sq. ft. including the lot and yes we are talking a nice home with many upgrades.

Add to that the building time can be as little as three months and that builders are again building spec homes.

The builders are back.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Dropping foreclosures

2011-01-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

The local media for Manatee and Sarasota counties recently reported a 50 percent drop in foreclosure filings in the area in December.

Apparently the lending institutions are starting to latch on to the idea of allowing short sales, selling your home for less than you owe the lender/lenders, than actually going through the lengthy and costly process of foreclosure.

If this trend continues it will be great for real estate in our area.

Some of the benefits are fewer abandoned homes that quickly fall in to disrepair while awaiting foreclosure.

More homeowners able to work out debt foregiveness rather than having a foreclosure hanging over their heads for possibly 20 years.

The potential for speeding up the process to get us out of the housing downturn.

The quicker we get the short sales and foreclosures off the market the sooner prices will start to rise again.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Oh Canada!

2011-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

If you are wondering who is buying Florida real estate you need not look any farther than our compatriots north of the border.

They are coming by air, land and sea.

The Canadian dollar is pretty much par with the U.S. dollar and our housing prices are less than half the average home price in Canada.

Add to that a number of Canadian banks have now bought up Florida regional through out the state and we are getting close to the perfect mix.

The Canadians we are talking to are looking for bargains of course but they are buying again and again.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Tis the season

2010-12-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well another real estate year has almost passed in the Sarasota/Manatee counties.

Hundreds of homes along with land has been bought and sold. Millions of dollars in transactions.

Many lessons have been learned in this ever changing market. We have heard about robo-signers on foreclosures, we have seen short sales actually become shorter in the time to close.

We have seen more dips in pricing. We have seen new construction pick up.

There have been some highs in the market and just recently we set a new low.

It all means that real estate will continue to be bought and sold in our area now and in the future.

All the best for the season.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Seller beware

2010-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a bit of sage of advise when you are short selling your home (trying to sell it for less than is owed lenders of record).

When there is blood in the water the sharks are out there.

It seems almost weekly we get offers on short sales from companies from who knows from where trying to tie up our clients home with no money down and promises they may or may not close.

Some of them may even by legitimate.

When our team short sells a home we ask the buyer to have the escrow money held for at least 60 days or upon lenders approval.

A serious buyer will have not problem doing just that. If they have skin in the game they are likely to see the short sale process through to the end.

This method helps to weed out a lot of the not so legitimate offers out there. They don't want to tie up any money because they want to get out at a drop of a hat.

Often the not so legitimate offers are trying to flip the house. They are trying to find a buyer for more than they offered on the house and to close at the same time.

If they don't find a buyer they dont't close on your home and you have ended up wasting weeks and months for an approval when a buyer willing to put down real money to see the sale through to the end.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Short sale reasoning

2010-12-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

If you are thinking of short selling your home here are a couple of items to think about.

Short selling is where you are trying to sell your home for less than you owe your lender/lenders or record and you are asking them to release you from the loan/loans instead of coming up with the difference when you sell your home.

First your Realtor is usually not your lawyer or accountant.

I strongly recommend you check with both before proceeding with a short sale. Everyone has different legal and financial circumstances and those experts can advise you of the ramifications legally and financially of short selling your home.

Realtors are there to help sell the home and get it through the short sale process. In our case for instance we have a full time short sale negotiator on the team. Her job is to get approval for short sale offers as quickly and efficiently has possible.

When you do agree to do a short sale the agents job is to get an offer by putting the house on the market at a value that is consistant with what homes are selling for in the area.

Too low and your lender is likely to reject the short sale offer when they do their own appraisal. Too high and no one will make an offer on the home.

After the terms are negotiated between buyer and seller then the offer goes to the sellers lender. The negotiations then start between the seller and the lender through the negotiator. The lender may seek promissory notes, hard money and a number of other items. The negotiators job is to get an agreement between the seller and their lender/lenders.

The reason short sales may take a long time is the lender may only be servicing the loan and has to find the investor who actually owns it. Then the negotiations go between seller, negotiator, lender, investor and back again.

Sounds like it might not work right? Well in fact it does work. It just takes time and patience on all sides.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

From gloom and doom to hope

2010-12-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

The National Association of Realtors recently released the third quarter local market report 2010 for Sarasota/Bradenton/Venice.

At first glance it looks frightening.

On average local homeowners have lost 9 years of equity. In raw numbers locally after 36 quarters equity in local homes was minus $8,700, nationally it was plus $21,500.

The local foreclosure rate is higher than the national average and the economic recovery in the state is slower than the national average.

A lot of gloom and doom.

But what you need to look for is future indicators.

Contruction is on the rise just a bit which suggest stabization of local inventory according to the report.

The 90 day delinquency rate for mortgages went up and the 60 day went down. According to the report that indicates the 90 deliquency rate will soon start slowing down also.

The economy locally is growing and the employment is holding and moving upward.

In the end it looks bad right now but there indictors that we are pulling out of the worst of the housing market locally.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

View to the future

2010-11-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Our team recently took on several builder and private listings in the Terra Ceia Bay Club.

I very much enjoy this area. No, not just because we got the listings. But because this is truly a remarkable community.

Nestled just away from downtown Palmetto this is a gated community with a golf course right on Terra Ceia Bay.

It features some of the premier nature trails in our area.

From the condo complex you have views of Terra Ceia Bay, Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Anna Maria Island, Egmont Key, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

And those incredible sunsets.

OK, we had a boom and then a bust in real estate. But real estate prices overall have climbed over the past 10 years. Take out the boom and bust and a lot of people did pretty good.

The reason I mention this is clients asking if buying now is right.

Here is what I see, beautiful sunsets in a golf course community with brand new units, low interest rates and units not costing millions for a million dollar view.

The answer is right there in front of you.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Figure this

2010-11-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you are a home owner in the Manatee and Sarasota area contemplating about selling your property start asking yourself some of these questions.

Why do I want to sell?

Are you being transferred, can you no longer financially afford this primary residence or second home, do you have some other pressing need to get the home sold.

If yes then call an agent and start the ball rolling.

If you are waiting for prices to recover then you may be waiting for prices to recover you may be waiting for three to five more years.

Ask yourself can afford to hold on to the home for three to five years until prices to recover? And by recovery I mean pre boom pricing think 2003-2004 pricing.

If you want to put the your home the market at the price you bought it for at the peak and not lose money that is not reality.

Selling now for many homeowners means at best breaking even if they bought within the last five or six years.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Willians On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Yep, they're here

2010-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Last month I talked about the incoming Snowbirds.

Last week one of the local papers talked about the droves of Snowbirds arriving early in the Bradenton/Sarasota area.

Restaurant owners were talking about seeing numbers that they have not seen in years coming back early and starting to spend.

Our phones have started to ring with a lot more regularity with northerners inquiring about homes.

Offers are coming in a lot faster with seasonal residents looking to grab the best deals before others come down and scoop them up.

The season has started early and strong.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Water wonders

2010-11-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love being around the water. I love being in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters or sailing on top of them.

There is nothing like watching a sunset over the gulf, lets say from Marina Jack, while sitting in the cockpit of a boat.

One of the greatest reasons to live in this area is we are surrounded by the magnificent wonder that is the Gulf of Mexico.

Living in Sarasota or Bradenton you are minutes away from walking by it on the beach or a sidewalk.

The soothing effects of it cannot be underestimated. It one of the reasons we live here.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Foreclosures up or down

2010-11-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I read two articles from two different local newspapers today covering the Sarasota/Manatee market.

One article talked about how the recent moratorium by some lenders on foreclosures really hit the market while the other espoused it was just a blip.

The reality is that foreclosure sales are going to be a major influence on our market for the next several months if not the next several years.

If all the foreclosures and short sales went away tomorrow it would still mean pricing in the market place would take months to get back up to the level it was a few years ago.

And that just isn't going to happen.

Our pricing is basically flat. Until the backlog of foreclosues and short sales are swallowed up by consumers it will likely stay that way.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

It probably won't get much better than this

2010-11-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

If I were to gaze into a crystal ball into the future and see people looking back on this time here is what I think I would see.

I would see a bunch of people who bought homes over the next couple of months thinking how they were so smart to buy in a market where interest rates were historicially low and prices were the same.

I would probably see some people who say bought that fanatastic beach front home on Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key or Siesta Key for instance bragging to friends about what a great deal they got.

Then I woud probably see a bunch of other looking back going why didn't I buy then. They could be thinking they are in a market where the cycle is going up, prices are rising and mortgage rates are higher and their buying power is less.

If you view the current market as too volatile and wait and wait well you might miss the opportunity literally of a lifetime and be looking back going I could have had that great deal.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

What the future may hold

2010-11-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Currently there are just over 2,860 single family homes listed in Manatee County.

Two years ago that would have been more than 4,200.

Last year it would have been around the same number as this year.

In Sarasota there are 3,980.

Two years ago that number would have been more than 6,100.

Last year it would have been around the same as this year.

What we are seeing is a leveling out of inventory in the market place.

Think of it this way. Instead of drowning in a market of single family homes for sale we appear to be keeping our head just slightly above water.

The next step could be a further drop in inventory. Combine that with a drop in foreclosures and short sales and you might start to see the beginning of prices going up.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Keller Williams On the Water
941.931.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

No need to stress on distress

2010-11-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

There have been a number of news items lately that may have shaken a few potential home buyers and sellers in the Manatee/Sarasota housing market.

Most of those items concern foreclosures and short sales.

Anecdotally let me tell you what I have seen.

Homes are still being foreclosed on and foreclosed homes are still being sold.

Short sale homes we appear to have a bit more movement toward shortening up the time period to sell them.

I had one that closed within 60 days no fuss. Another that we got a response from the lender within a week.

Yes there are still many lenders who take weeks or even months to respond to offers on short sales and thankfully that seems to be declining.

Foreclosed homes. Well the listings are still coming in and the foreclosed homes and land are still coming on the market.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The distress sale market

2010-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

For Sarasota and Manatee distress sales continue to drive the market.

Short sales (homes being sold for less than the lender/lenders of record owes) and foreclosures (homes the lender has already taken back) will likely be a predominate player in this market place for several years to come.

As of this writing there are 4835 single family homes actively for sale according to the Mid Florida Regional Multiple Listing service. Of those 2005 are distress property sales.

In the past 30 days there have been 577 single family homes sales with 319 of those being distress property sales. Either foreclosures or short sales.

Equity sellers. Those selling homes who have equity in their homes are competing against all those distress sales.

Until the backlog of thousands of distress sales in the Manatee and Sarasota market is cleared up it appears the market will stay flat as far as home prices go.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.931.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Why we live here

2010-11-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our community from Venice to Snead Island is a wonder of beauty.

Sarasota just finished with the Chalk Festival where artists put their talents to putting dozens of fantastic creations on the streets of the Burns Court area.

Nearby others walked along the sidewalks on Sarasota Bay and enjoyed the view of boats in Marina Jack.

It is no wonder the condominiums that surround the downtown core have such great value.

Million dollar views. Great restaurants and shops. Wonderous festivals.

Downtown Sarasota offers the discerning condominium shopper a lot of opportunity to enjoy a very fullfilling lifestyle.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Snowbirds are arriving. Time for selling.

2010-11-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

There are a number of homeowners in the Sarasota and Manatee market place thinking of selling during the upcoming snowbird season.

The annual trek of our northern neighbors brings a large number of potential buyers to our market.

What potential sellers need to know is if you are going to sell your home you need to start getting it on the market now.

By the time you get the listing done, the home ready for showings, photos etc. You are getting probably looking at early to late December at this point.

Most buyers find their homes on the internet. They are searching now for the homes they will want to see when they got here.

If your home isn't already up and running on one of the major search engines you need to start getting it on there right now.

As a home seller if you wait you are letting the home sellers take the lead.

All the best
Greg Owens PA
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back.

2010-11-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

See the license plate from Michigan.

The next one from New York.

Another one from Tennessee.

Ontario.

Quebec.

Say welcome back to the snowbirds.

This may turn out to be a banner year for home sales in the Manatee/Sarasota area and the only way that is going to happen is with a large influx of home buying northerners.

Here is what can make this so great. Interest rates are at a historic low so the buying power is way up for qualified home buyers.

Prices for homes are still down which makes buying a second home or retirement in the area very affordable.

So welcome back snowbirds!

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Fishing for investment properties

2010-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

If you were ever thinking of becoming the next Donald Trump with rental properties well now may be the time in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

With some condo's and homes selling in the 10k to 20k range (Ok, these are not waterfront premier communities) it would be tough not making money on these investment properties.

There are great opportunities for investors to scoop income making rental properties as they come on the market day after day.

The catch is there are a lot more people fishing these waters and you need to be able to jump with cash in hand.

Also if you are looking to make low offers on the foreclosures in the lower price ranges and win, it is similar to casting without a hook and hoping the fish will throw themselves on your line.

The other people fishing around you will be catching a lot more that day.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksflacom

Here come the snowbirds

2010-09-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's snowbird season coming up.

The annual trek from the north will soon be upon us all.

And yet again dreams of that retirement home or second house by the water will be floating through the heads of many or our brethern from northern states and Canada.

Canadians right now are the largest single group of foreign buyers for U.S. homes.

Realistically we are still at early 2000 pricing. So for sellers thinking it is easy money time they will want to sharpen their pencils.

The good news is with the historically low interest rates and lower amount of inventory on the market the motivated sellers out their will probably had a better chance then ever of selling their home.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343.
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Think about it

2010-09-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Before you consider selling your home in a short sale here is a couple of pieces of advice.

Talk to an accountant and a lawyer.

Realtors are not lawyers and we are not accountants. We sell real estate.

There are potential legal and tax consquences to this decision. One size does not fit all.

Remember this can be a complicated process.

Once a short sale home is up for sale and a buyer is found often the agent is negotiating with the buyer's agent and then negotiating with the lender and the seller.

Lender's may ask the seller to sign a promissory note, they ask for cash and the whole process can be long and frustrating.

On the up side a short sale is often much better for the seller than a foreclosure and the buyer is probably getting a pretty good deal on a home.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Short sale seas are still rough

2010-09-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Lenders said it.

The federal government said it.

But where is it?

With much fanfare we have seen lenders and federal officials announce short sales are going to be handled quicker and more efficiently.

Really.

On the ground we are not seeing much change in fact in some cases it may have gotten worse.

Two recent examples.

A ridiculously high counter offer by a the lender on a short sale. The counter is easily 30k over the current market value in the neighborhood.

The reason.

The lender based the counter on what the client owed and what the current market values are.

Huh?

Not a lot of consumers are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars more just because the previous owner owes more money than the home is worth.

Apparently this lender does not know what a short sale is. The home is sold for market value which is less than what the owner owes the lender.

Example two.

The second lien holder for a lack of a better expression is holding air. If the first forecloses they get nothing.

In this case the second lien holder was willing to throw the whole deal under the bus because they would get a couple of grand less than they wanted.

Think about this. Nothing from nothing equals nothing. How about just getting something or anything.

It might make the second lien holder feel better that they stood their ground. That and a couple of dollars will get you a bus ride home.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Distress stress

2010-09-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Foreclosures and short sales continue to press hard on the Sarasota and Manatee housing market.

Those sales continue to make up more than half of the single family home sales in both counties.

The reality is both types of sales are not going away anytime soon.

For sellers who have equity in their homes it means price will continue to be dragged down by the distress sales.

And the distress sales are everywhere now from homes under $50,000 to former multi-million dollar properties.

There are few neighborhoods that have not been effected by distress sales and for those that haven't it may just be a matter of time.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamsworksfla.com

Where the buyers are

2010-09-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

In Manatee County you have about 9.5 months of inventory in the overall single family home resale market.

In the past 30 days there were 309 homes sold according to the Mid-Florida Regional MLS.

The highest price was $2.45 million and the lowest was $10,000.

The majority of sales are still in the under $250,000 price range. Of the 309 sales 214 of those were $250,000 or less for the purchase price.

This entry market continues to be the driving force for sales of single family homes.

There is 6.9 months of inventory in the under $250,000.

With the low mortgage rates and the availability of FHA loans this market shows now sign of abating.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamwworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The beginning or the end

2010-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

There has been a new wave of foreclosure homes come on in the Sarasota/Manatee market.

There is a 'rocket docket' basically a court docket for uncontested foreclosures to go through fast.

It does not mean we are necessarily in for another housing downturn.

Less people are defaulting on their mortgages. Rates continue to drop to historic lows.

Prices have stablized and inventory of resale homes is not fluctuating dramatically like before.

And those infamous adjustable rate mortgages that everyone feared well in a number of cases the interest rate has gone down significantly for those homeowners.

The bogeyman of a huge fall out from the ARM's is actually turning in to a windfall for some homeowners.

The asset managers for banks say we're in to a uptick for foreclosures for the next couple of years but the backlog is being cleared out.

This probably means prices will not go up dramatically but they should still start rising as the inventory drops.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
9

Southwest Florida home sales soar in June | HeraldTribune.com

2010-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Southwest Florida home sales soar in June | HeraldTribune.com

Sarasota rising by the numbers

2010-07-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Remember the golden days for buyers maybe a year ago in Sarasota.

Well, that time has pretty much passed and we are fast going back to a normal market.

As of this writing there are 3,908 single family homes listed on the MLS in Sarasota and 575 sold in the past 30 days. That leaves about 6.8 months of inventory. Sarasota is in a neutral market headed towards a seller's market.

Under $150,000 there is four months of inventory. It is now a seller's market.

Under $250,000 there is 4.7 months of inventory. Again a seller's market.

One area is still a buyers market the over $1 million range there is almost 39 months of inventory.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Fun with housing numbers in Manatee

2010-07-08T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yep, it is true, the housing market in Manatee is continuing to recover.

Let's just take a quick peak at the numbers.

Overall as of my writing this there are 2,923 single family homes on the market in the county. There have been 349 sold in the past 30 days. At this rate you have an 8.3 three month supply of homes on the market.

That is not a bad market at all. It is a weak buyer's market with a good supply of homes but not an over abundance.

Break that down a bit more and just look at homes listed for $250,000 or less. You have 1,449 homes on the market with 236 selling in the past 30 days. Now you are in to a neutral market neither a buyer's or seller's at six months of inventor.

This is signalling a shift and in this towards the sellers.

Break it down one more time to under $150,000 and you have 736 homes on the market with 128 sales in that range within the past 30 days. You are now in to a weak neutral market definitely heading towards a seller's market with just under six months of inventory.

In that under $150,000 market in particular you are now seeing less and less desirable inventory, the big three so to speak, location, condition and price.

One area where it is still a very strong buyer's market. The over $1 million price range. There are 218 homes in that range with only four selling in the past month. That is just over a 54 month supply.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Mortgage rates at lowest since at least 1971 - Business - BradentonHerald.com

2010-06-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Mortgage rates at lowest since at least 1971 - Business - BradentonHerald.com

Changes await state mortgage industry - Business - BradentonHerald.com

2010-06-25T05:50:00.000-07:00

Changes await state mortgage industry - Business - BradentonHerald.com

Sarasota-Bradenton: Condo sales spike 71 percent | HeraldTribune.com

2010-06-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sarasota-Bradenton: Condo sales spike 71 percent HeraldTribune.com

Sarasota-Bradenton: Home sales up 31 percent | HeraldTribune.com

2010-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sarasota-Bradenton: Home sales up 31 percent HeraldTribune.com

Sarasota-Bradenton home sales, prices up | HeraldTribune.com

2010-06-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sarasota-Bradenton home sales, prices up HeraldTribune.com

'Rocket docket' comes to Manatee | HeraldTribune.com

2010-06-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

'Rocket docket' comes to Manatee HeraldTribune.com

Expanding Manatee's sports industry: IMG, Ellenton sports complex, Pirates generate millions - Business - BradentonHerald.com

2010-06-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Expanding Manatee's sports industry: IMG, Ellenton sports complex, Pirates generate millions - Business - BradentonHerald.com

Real estate sales soar on Anna Maria Island - Business - BradentonHerald.com

2010-06-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Real estate sales soar on Anna Maria Island - Business - BradentonHerald.com

Where is the slowdown?

2010-06-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of real estate gurus out there predicting a slowdown in the market over the summer as the tax credit program ended.

Anecdotally we have not seen that.

In fact the inventory is down to a level in Manatee and Sarasota counties where multiple offers on properties be they short sales, foreclosures or equity sellers is not uncommon.

With just over a 7 month supply of single family homes in the market, under 3,000 in the case of Manatee County, we are slowly drifting towards a neutral market instead of the weak buyers market we are in now.

Foreclosures and short sales will continue to influence pricing but the lower amount of inventory on the market is becoming a strong factor in starting to move the prices upward.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

For Sale by Owner

2010-06-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

You know I still see quite a few For Sale By Owner properties in the Palmetto area.

It is tough enough for professional Realtors to sell homes these days with all the competition with short sales and foreclosures let alone trying to sell it on your own.

When you think about selling it yourself.

Think about this.

If you really need to sell it, it is not about brokerage fees, it is about the market and getting it sold.

You need a good market report on what is selling to ensure your property is priced to market values. Not what your neighbor said they sold for but really what the comparable homes are selling for.

The market determines the price buyers are willing to pay.

You need to know if you are a candidate for a short sale. You may not want to sell your home for less than you owe but there may be very few alternatives.

You need exposure to reach the largest audience possible. These days that means spending a bit of coin on the Internet.

You need to be weary of all the appropriate legal paper work, disclosures etc.

You will want to know up front that any potential buyer has the credit and financial ability to purchase before you let them in the door. Not someone saying I'm worth it, you need to have them prove it.

You need to stage your home.

You need to set up an answering service so it easy for potential buyers to get in if you are home or not.

Or you may just want to pick up the phone and ask a Realtor to do all this for you.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Tempting

2010-06-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

A lot of the media is talking about the increase in prices and sales of both condos and single family homes in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

I get quite a few calls from people who are tempted to put their house on the market.

These fall in to two very distinct categories.

Sellers who know that prices have fallen back to where we were in early 2,000 and are realistic about the market.

Sellers who don't know about the market and are just trying to find out what is going on and are little bit shocked about the pricing in their neighborhood.

The good news is their is opportunity for both.

The sellers who know the market realize they will have to price their homes aggressively to compete with large number of short sales and foreclosures that still dominate our area.

The sellers who don't know about the market are finding out that available inventory is dropping and that prices are slowly creeping back up.

For the latter, depending on when they bought, the opportunity to sell get more than they paid could be months instead of years away.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Living here

2010-06-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

You know one of the best reasons to live in Palmetto Florida is the community.

The area is big enough so you have all the stores and amenities, yet small enough that yes, when you go to the local restaurant they do know your name.

Places like the Riverside Cafe or Riverhouse Grill.

You can sit watch the boats coming and going from the Regatta Point Marina.

You can sit by the water side and watch fish or dolphin playing in the Manatee River.

And the prices are not outrageous.

You can watch a over the Gulf of Mexico.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Condo!

2010-06-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Imagine a waterfront condo.

West facing unobstructed views of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The lights of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge off to your left.

From your front balcony you can see the sunset, from the rear the sunrise.

More than 2,000 sq. ft. under air conditioning.

All this and more for less than $250k.

Yep, and one just went on the market as a foreclosure and had three offers in a nano second.

The good news is the builder has several with similar views and they are looking at offers.

This is what paradise look like.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Waterfront wonders

2010-06-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of years I have been telling everyone about the affordable waterfront properties in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Homes from just over 200k on deep saltwater canals.

These were fantastic deals for boaters. Even without the house the lots were worth the money.

Those deals are drying up fast.

In fact we are seeing a slight up tick in waterfront prices. Yes, even the foreclosure waterfront properties are not coming in like the deals we had a year ago.

What the means for buyers is that better to move on a boatable waterfront property now.

Some of the builders still constructing waterfront homes are playing lets make a deal. Those won't last long as the inventory is moving at a good pace.

For sellers of waterfront the trend looks like prices are stabilizing. Time to ponder putting your home on the market if you were inclined to do so.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

No slow down

2010-06-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

There were quite a few people predicting a market slow down in our area after the first time home buyer program expired.

So far I haven't seen it. From Anna Maria to Siesta Key there are still buyers out there.

Key to that is the historically low interest rates combined with continuing low prices.

People are still going to retire or buy second homes in Florida. These people are not the typical first time home buyer market.

We are also seeing a resurgence of the move up market.

There are a number of people who bought before the boom and can still sell the home for more than they bought it for. These move up buyers are seeing that dream home in the price range they can afford now.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Brighter at the end of this tunnel

2010-05-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sarasota and Manatee counties had a 32 percent increase homes sales in April compared to last year.

Many attribute that the first time home credit but a lot of the buyers we are seeing are in the move up market.

Also home prices rose 5 percent last month.

Inventory is down significantly.

We have now shifted from a strong buyers market where inventories were high to a weak buyers market where the number of houses for sale has dropped significantly.

It looks like we will be shifting towards a weak seller's market within the next couple of months as the inventory of homes continues to drop.

One note is that the role of foreclosures and short sales has not gone away. The distress sales are keeping prices down.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com

Bright light at the end of the tunnel

2010-04-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well here it is Sarasota and Manatee counties according to information released by the Florida Association of Realtors and reported in the Sarasota Herald Tribune and Bradenton Herald.

Single family homes sales were up 38 percent in March compared to last year.

1,055 houses sold compared to 765 last year at the same time.

The median home price rose 9 percent compared to last year. It went from $150,000 a year ago to $163,800 this year. This was a 6 percent increase from February.

Condominium sales rose 69 percent in March compared to a year ago. There were 382 condos sold this March compared to 226 last year.

The median price for condos went up $146,400 from $129,000 last year at the same time. That was a 3.5 percent increase from February.

Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
Realtor
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

No silver bullet for short sales

2010-04-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

OK, the HAFA program which was supposed to be a silver bullet for short sales is apparently missing the mark.

This program was designed to speed up the process to answers to offers within 10 days, no deficiency judgments, money for the seller to move etc. on primary residence homes.

Turns out it only applies to a very small part of the short sale market, no Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, no loans that involve an investor who did not sign on to the program etc.

The reality here is unless this program is tweaked dramatically it will help very few people speed up the short sale process.

There was no silver bullet here.

Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
Realtor
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Foreclosure delays

2010-04-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

For those buyers out there looking for the quick deal on foreclosures you may find that a response to an offer is not as fast as you make think it should be.

As the number of foreclosures have increased so has the response time to offers.

Some of the largest banks and smaller lenders may take days, possibly weeks to respond to an offer.

Others may respond within hours.

Like short sales each lender handles the offers differently.

There is no across the board set of standards or rules.

All the best

Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
Realtor
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Thank you Snowbirds

2010-04-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

In the Manatee/Sarasota area Easter Weekend is considered the end of Snowbird season.

This is when our northern brethren start the trek back to their homes across the northern U.S. and Canada.

The home buying trend switches now from the Snowbirds to families moving to the area and later in the summer Europeans.

These potential home buyers will find a new world of price stabilization and a little less selection than previous years.

Gone are the days of mountains of inventory laying dormant on the market.

They will be coming in to a market that has scene the worst of the housing market pass and has started the slow road to recovery.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Certified Distressed Property Expert
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

New rules may help short sales

2010-03-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of acronyms being thrown around in the attempts to help the short sale market.

The main one short sale sellers should pay attention to in April is HAFA, Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative.

There are bunch of rules that go with this program but in a nutshell it is apparently designed to speed up the short sale process.

Lenders who are participate in this program will have weeks not months to respond to an offer.

It is supposed to help pay second mortgage holders and help out the homeowner in getting their home sold.

According to what I have read this is not for investment homes rather primary residence and the sellers are going to have to meet a bunch of requirements. Plus the lender will have to have signed on to this federal program.

It may all sound to good to be true. The program like others in this vain may need tweaking.

The good news is that between the federal government and the lenders there appears to be a concerted effort to get the housing crisis behind us.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Realtor
Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE)
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The inevitable has happened

2010-03-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen even in the hardest hit housing markets.

Prices are starting to inch upwards.

According to the Stander & Poor's/Case Schiller 20-city home price index prices rose .3 percent in the seasonally adjusted rate from December to January.

The index doesn't track Sarasota and Manatee but for the Tampa area there was a .5 percent increase according to an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

We have been talking about price stabilization for months in our area. The next step is price increases.

The higher end homes for sale are starting to feel a dramatic impact of price drops while the more affordable homes are seeing stablization and probably the first signs of potential price increase since the bubble burst.

This doesn't mean anyone who bought during the height of the market will soon be getting back their investment but it can mean those who bought before the frenzy could see an increased return on their homes.

It could take years to recover back almost a decade in price increases. The slope downward appears to have stopped and that climb may have begun.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On the Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Beach me

2010-03-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Is our market recovering? Sure.

Will it be a while? Definitely. Probably a year just to start seeing an increase in prices of any note.

Are people still going to move here. You bet.

The latest information out is that Florida is back in the positive column for migration to the state.

You live in my area on the Gulf Coast right now and it seems a Florida licence plate is a rarity.

New York, Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, well you get the picture.

A strong Canadian dollar, lower prices, make our area pretty attractive.

Will people keep retiring in our community? Go out to Anna Maria Island or Longboat Key and walk the beach. Enjoy the cool breeze and sunshine. You know the answer.

Just beach me.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Short sale delays may turn a corner

2010-03-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

Like many areas Sarasota/Manatee counties are deluged with short sales.

Short sales for the longest time have meant short on money long on time. We are talking months and months and months of waiting. Few buyers are willing to wait that long.

Think of the extent of the problem last month in Manatee County 52 percent of home sales were distress sales, which means foreclosures or short sales. This is not going away anytime soon.

So the problem is how do lenders shorten up the process?

Well Bank of America for example and others have recently turned over their short sales to a system called Equator. This software, real people, short sale system is supposed to speed up the approval process somewhere between 30 and 45 days.

This would be a vast improvement. If it works short sales could soon be a lot more attractive to buyers who don't want to wait months or possibly a year or more for a response.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Our community

2010-03-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

One role of real estate agents here is to play tour guide with our buyers.

A lot of people come here knowing they want to live in Bradenton or Sarasota but they don't know where.

Just the other day I took another agent out to show them the highlights of our community.

Good shopping. The Ellenton Outlet Mall. Bonus it has an ice arena nearby. Throw in a couple of champion figure skaters who practice there.

Great biking and nature trails. Easy. Emerson Point park and DeSoto Park the islands. Views of Tampa Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Sunshine Skyway Bridge are added value.

Great beaches. No problem. Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, miles and miles of sand.

Good restaurants. Everywhere. On the water and off the water. You can dine and watch a sunset at the same time from the Manatee River to Sarasota Bay.

Recreation. Well there isn't a marina on every corner but it sure seems like it. Ditto for Golf courses and tennis courts.

You get the idea. You drive around our community and remember it has so much to offer.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Season is almost over

2010-03-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

In our great communities of Manatee and Sarasota counties we have a home selling season.

Call it tourist season, snowbird season whatever you like.

If you are selling a home the watershed time period is between Thanksgiving and Easter.

This is when the flocks of people come down from up north to the somewhat warmer climate.

Many with dreams of getting there Florida dream home for retirement or future vacations.

But that season is quickly coming to a close.

For sellers out there it is time to get your home on the market if you want to sell it this season.

Within the next couple of weeks buyers from up north will be putting pen to paper and purchasing their slice of paradise.

If you are not on the market now they may never know what they missed.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Time to looking at moving up

2010-03-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

We all know that our market from Sarasota to Longboat Key, Lakewood Ranch to Anna Maria Island has taken a big hit in prices over the past couple of years.

That is the past now we need to start looking at the future.

For the moment lets just say prices have hit bottom for housing in our market. Some may argue yes or no for various reasons but the fact we are seeing a steady increase in sales and less price depreciation gives us at least a murky bottom.

What that means for the home sellers who are not underwater (owe more than their home is worth) it really is time to start thinking about the move up market.

A couple of quick reasons.

The number of homes for sale on the market is down, about 24 percent in January year over year for Manatee and 29 percent for Sarasota. Less inventory means less choice for buyers and more opportunities for sellers.

Mortgage rates are at historic lows. Think early 1970s lows. A lot of people have never seen mortgage rates this low.

Your buying power has increased. The price of homes has dropped significantly. That mansion on the water that was unattainable before may actually be in your budget now.

A few years from now I am sure many people will be looking back and saying I could have bought that house for (fill in the blank) and kicking themselves for not doing it.

If you can sell your home now and make money the buy on the other side can be that dream home that you couldn't afford before.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
941.932.6343.
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Canada vs USA

2010-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

We recently returned from our annual Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion.

Think of this as a high powered education conference where they give you a fire hose full of information to digest over a four day period.

About 7,500 agents come out with a dazed look of wow and enough information to digest for months to come.

One of the intriguing parts was an analysis of the U.S. housing market versus the Canadian.

Canada right now is touted at having the most secure financial system in the world.

The banks did not do exotic loans and regulators kept a close eye on the banking system.

The U.S., well we know what happened down here.

Why is this important.

Canada's housing market is continuing to climb with prices going up and a steady growth, not a boom but a steady growth.

Our market in the boom areas, such as Bradenton/Sarasota saw a skyrocket rise in housing prices and roller coaster ride to the bottom.

Keeping a tighter reign on financing is going to be key to avoiding the roller coaster and enjoying a pleasant smooth upward trend.

Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
9541.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Market check

2010-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Looking at the market figures for January of 2010 gives you a bit of hope.

For single family homes in Manatee County you are looking at a 42.5 percent increase in pending sales. In real numbers that is 416 homes going under contract compared to 292 the year before according to Trendgraphix.

What is also interesting is there was a 24.4 percent drop in the number of homes on the market for sale, 2909 versus 3847 the year before.

There are several reasons for the upswing in the market but the key one can be broken down.

First, mortgage rates are at a historical low which means the buying power is greater for those who have the credit and cash to buy.

Secondly, prices have dropped on average well below the 200k mark which means first time home buyers can get into the market.

First time home buyers nationally are helping to drive the market up. The above combinations are making it attractive for them to get into the real estate market.

The tax credit has helped but the economics of lower prices and great mortgage rates is fueling the fire.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Sales, sales everywhere

2010-03-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

Nationally sales were down just over 7 percent in January

Here in Manatee/Sarasota counties we were up 30 percent.

The median home price in our area fell slightly.

What does this all mean.

Well it could be attributed to the snowbirds coming to town or just the fact that our prices have come down so far that Florida has become a bargain again.

In the long run we have seen months of continuing strong sales and not a large fluctuation in prices.

All the signs are pointing towards stability in a market that went from red hot, to ice cold and now up to potentially lukewarm.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

New Year Wish List

2010-02-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

It may be a little late but here is my wish list for Manatee and Sarasota real estate for 2010.

Lenders need to cut through the red tape and start make a real push to keep people in their homes. Yes, this may mean they have to right down the value of the mortgage but in the long run it might be much cheaper than having to foreclose.

Lenders need to cut through the red tape and get the short sale process down to a couple of months. Some are getting there but many of the financial institutions are still taking at least three to five months if not more to give a yea or nay on a short sale.

Let the stabilization trend continue. Prices have started to hit a rock bottom. If we can keep this trend going maybe home owners may even see a little rise in prices by the end of the year.

Last but not least let everyone in the real estate market realize we live in a beautiful community in Manatee and Sarasota we can believe in. A positive mindset can set all things we wish for in motion.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com
Greg o

A tale of two communities

2010-02-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

If you are looking around Palmetto, Parrish, Bradenton and Sarasota you might think that short sales and foreclosures have taken over the market.

Not so.

The distress sales do make up almost half of recent sales but by a thin margin regular equity sellers still make up the more than 50 percent of the home sales in these areas.

You will also find that often some areas have been hit much harder than others.

For example River Plantation in Parrish was pretty hard hit by foreclosures and short sales. It was a bargain hunters paradise.

Not to far up the road on the other hand River Woods has very few distress sales and a healthy number of homes being sold.

One of the major differences is River Woods has a number of home sellers who bought before the real estate boom and didn't use their home as a check book via credit lines.

That means that homes can be sold at current market value and the homeowners still can walk away with a reasonable amount of return on their investment.

River Plantation is a relatively new community where the homeowners may have been stretched with their mortgage payments or may have been hoping to sell their homes quickly to make a profit.

The market turn around meant a number of the homes in River Plantation ended up as short sale or going back to lenders and on the market as foreclosures.

You can see this same situation all over Manatee and Sarasota counties. One community is hit hard by the turnaround and a similar one not far away can be relatively unscathed.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

The shifting market

2010-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

The bargain finders coming Manatee and Sarasota are quickly finding out what looks like a steal often is not.

The vast majority of buyers these days find their selection of homes on the Internet.

Often they will see homes that look great with amazing prices on the web and then come here to find out the homes that the location is no where near where they wanted to be.

As the old axiom goes. If it seems to good to be true... (it probably isn't).

Think of this, Manatee and Sarasota for the most part are coastal communities, with white sand beaches and all the amenities. The land values reflect that.

Some buyers get sticker shock when they see a home under 200k that they thought would be one of those great bargains.

Yes, it is a bargain these days because the same home cost twice that much a few years ago during the real estate boom.

It is probably safe to say you are not going to get a beach front mansion or even across the road from the beach for under 200k in this area any time soon or in the near future.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Waterfront wonders

2010-02-01T15:27:00.000-08:00

Again in our area from Palmetto to Sarasota Bay waterfront is hot, hot, hot again.

It seems a day doesn't go by when someone is asking about purchasing a waterfront home.

If you are in the hunt for waterfront here a couple of things to consider in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

If your dream home is on a canal find out the depth of the canal.

Canals fill in over time. So that dream yacht you might want to dock behind your home you may only be able to get in our out during high tide.

Ask your agent specific questions about the water in the area you are buying.

You may find the area has a lot of shoals before you can maneuver to open water or a marked channel.

If the home is on open water check to make sure there is a channel that in front that will handle your boat depth. Open water doesn't necessarily mean deep water.

Boating can be great fun around here and a little research can help you get the best out of it.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

What a difference a year makes

2010-01-28T12:52:00.000-08:00

Yep. Last year at this time it was get those prices down. The worst is yet to come. Blood in the water, sharks out there....

You get the picture.

Hmmm, median prices are starting to rise, sales are way up both for condos and houses, there are buyers out there. What a difference a year makes.

Inventory is at acceptable levels. It is still a buyers market but under 250k for single family homes that situation is changing quickly.

This means sellers who have equity in their homes, have the motivation to sell now, can come away OK.

The distress sales, foreclosure and short sale, continue to keep market prices down.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Bucking the national trend

2010-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

Single family home sales were up 43 percent in Bradenton/Sarasota in December over last year.

Nationally they were down 17 percent.

December of 2009, 872 homes sold compared to 610 the previous year.

The median sale price rose 5 percent from $16ok to just over $167k year over year according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

It was a 4.6 percent increase from November when the median home price was $160k.

Condo sales were up 144 percent in December with 310 units sold compared to 127 the previous year. The median price was up compared to November by 5.3 percent to $148,600 compared to $141,000.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Thanks for a great year

2010-01-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Selling and listing over the past year in Sarasota and Manatee has been great.

It has everything to do with the clients we have here and clients coming in to our community.

Our team's business for instance almost doubled from the previous year and our office saw outstanding growth.

Not every real estate firm was as fortunate but many not only survived but thrived. Here's why.

Listing clients who wanted their homes to sell realized they needed to drop their prices and compete the distress sales.

Buying clients realized there where once in a lifetime opportunities to pick homes at bargain basement prices.

The business of real estate didn't stop, it evolved to match the market condition.

The combination made for a lot of real estate business.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

All hope is not lost

2010-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Real estate prices for single family homes in Manatee and Sarasota counties continue to remain flat or slight lower.

The inventory is dropping and there is market demand.

All this means that all hope is not lost.

We're not dropping like a rock in prices as we did a year ago.

We're seeing buyers, well buying. They are out there, they do have cash or financing and they are willing to pay market value for homes that are desirable.

The real estate market is not dead, it is crawling along and should get back to a walking pace later this year.

All this means of course is the direction is positive.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Looking into the future

2010-01-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

As I gaze once again into the local real estate market crystal ball I see... more of the same.

We are still going to be going through a market where prices are driven by foreclosures and short sales in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

For equity sellers, those who have equity in their homes, it means the competition with distress sales will continue to hold the prices down.

The are still a number of foreclosures coming on the market and the short sales are continuing to dominate the market.

The market prices appear to be headed to remain flat or slightly lower over the next couple of months.

Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworkfla.com

Making it real

2010-01-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

On a recent trip to Edmonton, Alberta I noticed something interesting in the downtown shopping areas and enclosed walkways.

Wherever I walked I saw indoor palm trees, something that looked like beach sand and a lot of effort put in to making it look like a tropical paradise.

Outside, there was snow, a bit of ice fog and a lot of people bundled up against the cold.

Now with the Canadian dollar fairly close to the U.S. there is an opportunity to make that surreal tropical look a reality.

With the median home price in Manatee and Sarasota counties still below 200k there is more than an ample opportunity to get the winter home where the palm trees are outdoors and the beach sand is in front of the Gulf of Mexico.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com

Right place, right time

2010-01-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

I recently arrived back from a trip to Canada.

Arriving at the Orlando International Airport a child exclaimed, "this must be the right place there are palm trees."

Oh, how right she is.

Florida for my northern brethren is the right place right now. It has palm trees, it has beaches, it has everything you want when you are in a deep freeze up north.

On top of all that the prices for homes or condos are at the lowest levels they have been in a decade.

So more than ever there is an opportunity to see those palm trees over and over.

All the best
Greg Owens P.A.
Keller Williams On The Water
941.932.6343
greg@teamworksfla.com
www.teamworksfla.com