Posted by Michael Saunders & Company on April 22, 2010
photo courtesy of dannyfranks.wordpress.com
Like the classic conundrum involving which came first, the chicken or the egg, here’s a question that never fails to ignite debate at cocktail parties everywhere:
Which matters more when selling a home? The agent you select to help you accomplish the feat; or the company he or she works for?
Needless to say, there are no definitive answers to these questions because no two transactions ever involve the exact same set of circumstances. Sometimes an agent’s track record of success helps attract a seller, while the company’s reach, reputation and resources help bring in the buyer. One thing, however, is for sure in today’s unforgiving market. Whether you personally place more emphasis on the agent than the company he or she represents—or vice versa—there has never been a more critical time to weigh the merits of each very carefully before deciding with whom to list your home.
As a company dedicated to exceptional service, we naturally think that clients and customers are deserving and entitled to both—a great agent backed by the resources of a great company. After all, at each closing, both agent and company receive just compensation for having done their fair share of the heavy lifting. Moreover, a talented and resourceful agent is of much greater value to you when backed by a company that injects even more resources into the customer service equation.
At Michael Saunders & Company we go to tremendous lengths to make sure the agents we put in service to you can do much more than simply produce a valid real estate license and occupy a desk. Although we have many of the market’s leading neighborhood and property specialists, we are determined to be known for the quality of our agents, not the quantity.
As the brightly emblazoned planes soared, swooped, looped and otherwise thrilled tens of thousands of spectators with their gravity-defying stunts at the 30th Annual Florida International Air Show, we couldn’t help but marvel at how the show’s perennial host city—Punta Gorda—has also defied gravity. Just six years after being brought to its knees by Hurricane Charley, Punta Gorda is soaring higher than ever before.
They call it an “international” air show for good reasons. Not only do many of the pilots fly-in from outside the country; but as we craned our necks to marvel at their airborne acrobatics, we heard not a few of our fellow spectators marveling in different languages. In addition to British, Scottish and Irish accents, we heard German, French, Italian and Spanish being spoken. Moreover, in the sprawling parking fields adjacent to Charlotte County Airport were cars bearing license tags from virtually every state in the Union; and province of Canada. On this gorgeous Saturday afternoon in April the world has quite literally descended on Punta Gorda.
And why shouldn’t it? Historic and charming, Punta Gorda possesses every great reason to be in Florida rolled into a single Gulf Coast community. Outstanding location. Superb culture and cuisine. Miles of navigable rivers, waterways and coastline. World class fishing, boating and kayaking. Challenging golf.
Its exquisite natural beauty and abundant lifestyle opportunities notwithstanding, there are even more satisfying reasons to live, work and play in Punta Gorda. Once here, newcomers find themselves putting down roots in a community whose residents, business owners and government officials are not only united in rebuilding and revitalizing their city, but have joined together to co-author a distinctive master plan to encourage and manage growth while maintaining Punta Gorda’s unique small town appeal.
“TEAM Punta Gorda” was created in 2004 shortly after the scope of Charley’s devastation became evident. Though many landmarks were damaged or destroyed, the storm’s wrath failed to undermine the community’s hometown feeling or sense of civic harmony, two factors that have continually landed Punta Gorda atop the national media’s short-list of the most livable small towns in America.
Prominently placed on Sarasota Bay, Downtown Sarasota is a bustling mix of culture, business, and the convergence place for its many diverse neighborhoods. Sarasota is often described having a small town feel with big city amenities and the city’s creative spirit is constantly evolving thanks to an engaged population who call this spot on the west coast home.
Posted by Michael Saunders & Company on April 1, 2010
The road to recovery for Southwest Florida’s real estate market has been long and arduous; fraught with an overabundance of properties for sale—many of them short sales and foreclosures. Yet following a winter in which sales of correctly-priced homes sizzled, even the most skeptical market watchers are trading die-hard pessimism for a healthy dose of informed optimism.
Prices are at long last stabilizing on properties priced below $300,000. The total number of properties for sale has retreated into a much healthier zone of balanced supply and demand; and the phenomenon of multiple offers on well-priced properties is not uncommon. The market for correctly-priced properties between $500,000 and $1 million has also begun to show signs of a slow recovery—although sales of properties above $1 million remain sluggish. Still, were it not for the 800-pound gorilla occupying the driver’s seat, some might conclude that our overall recovery is finally cruising in the fast lane.
That 800-pound gorilla is the beast called “foreclosure,” a tenacious problem applying considerable drag to the pace of our recovery. Yet, while the total number of foreclosures in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte Counties has essentially remained flat over the past few months, the number is still high—9,844 at last count in March—and could potentially get higher before subsiding. That’s the sobering news of the day.
But there’s good news too. Unlike earlier in the crisis, newer foreclosures are being handled somewhat more proactively by the major financial institutions, who now realize that it’s often in their best interest to strike constructive accords with “underwater” borrowers at risk for defaulting on their loans. With so many foreclosures exerting downward pressure on prices, everyone’s bottom line is better served by keeping home and homeowner together wherever possible. Thus, the result of a constructive give-and-take between borrower and lender increasingly comes in the form of a loan modification or principal reduction plan, which typically reduces principal and payments for the borrower while keeping the property lived-in, cared for, and of greater value to the lender.
Just over the bridge from downtown Sarasota lie the gorgeous beaches and lush tropical features of Lido Key. Some say Lido affords the perfect place for a short stay or the place to live forever.
Lido Key is the beginning and end of many a visitor’s search for the perfect Sarasota lifestyle. The Key offers many beachfront condominiums with magnificent views of the beautiful beaches.
Posted by Michael Saunders & Company on March 25, 2010
With the nation’s housing market behaving most untraditionally over the past few years, many would-be buyers are understandably scratching their heads, wondering if the right time to buy is now.
From strictly a local market perspective, the answer to this frequently-asked question is an enthusiastic—if qualified—“yes.” Having been among the first regions in the nation to experience the full brunt of the housing bubble—and its all-too-familiar aftermath—Southwest Florida is now ahead of the curve with respect to its recovery. More than two years of aggressive price reductions have recently restored some semblance of local stability to our market; while nationally, sales took an unexpected dip this winter—largely attributed to weather that prevented buyers from leaving their current homes to shop for new ones.
In Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte Counties, on the other hand, the weather stopped no buyers from making their appointed rounds. Unit sales are up, pending sales are up dramatically, inventories have been reduced, and our market’s median price, no longer in freefall, is bobbing up and down marginally from month to month—traditionally a symptom of firming-up prices.
Thus, all indicators of a sustained recovery are evident throughout the region as we wrap up the first quarter of 2010. Add two seriously attractive purchasing incentives to the mix—the first time home buyer tax credit and historically low interest rates—and you’ll understand why so many people feel it’s now or never if buying at rock bottom prices is priority one.
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