Grand Isle, Heritage Isle, Indian River Colony Club – Viera’s 55+ communities

If you are not familiar with Viera, Florida (located in north Melbourne), it is an expansive planned unit development with shopping, restaurants, parks, nearby medical facilities, golf courses and more located in central Brevard County, Florida.

If you would like additional information, visit the Viera East Community Association web site.

I have been receiving lots of inquiries about these developments because prices have become so attractive. Some folks are looking to make it a permanent move while others are looking for the part time residence to vacation or escape the cold winters back home.

Take Grand Isle, for example. This is an exclusive gated community with club house, pool, exercise facility and more – very nice!

In 2008 the median price for homes sold was $245,000 with an average selling price of $253,000. It took about 140 days to sell in 2008. [Data from Brevard MLS data search]

In 2009 (so far), the median selling price has been about $215,000 with an average of about $239,000. Days on the market for sold properties has been about 66 days. Better prices, moving a bit faster.

As of today there are 11 active listings in Grand Isle. The prices ranger from $199,900 for a 3/2 w/2 car garage to $349,900 for a 4/3 w/3 car garage. [If you are a golfer that 3rd garage stall comes in handy for the golf cart you can drive to the nearby golf course.]

In the past month a couple of properties closed and there are two others under contract.

If you would like information on 55+ communities in Brevard County, Florida, please give me a call or drop an email.

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida, 321-693-3850, email agent@moving2brevard.com.

Sorry, not interested….

Scenario: Interested party calls to request a showing of a property in Palm Bay, Florida.

My response to inquiry: As with all prospective clients I attempt to qualify their ability to purchase and motivation. After all, real estate agents such as myself get paid by commission – not my looks. [Guess that makes me lucky!]

My questions to prospect included:

• What is your timeframe?
• Have you spoken with a lender about a mortgage?
• Are you familiar with area?

The response I received was no time period, no lender yet but familiar.

Since this particular property was located 25 miles south of my primary area of Viera and Rockledge, Florida, I offered to show property when the caller was ready to to seriously purchase – not kick the tires!

His response: Sorry, not interested.

I will take that answer any day as it is not fair to sellers to ask them to open up their home to someone who is not really a buyer.

When you are ready to buy or sell in Brevard County, Florida, call me. Gary Waters, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida.

Can I have your attention, please? Can I be ignored so easily?

I heard about this thing called "blogging" a couple of years ago. I was a bit slow to grasp it. As I have written before, I am a slow learner!

So I started a couple of web logs (the real name for blogs). This the 800th post of this blog.

That seems like a lot.

My other blog Florida Homes For Sale has about 270 posts. And then there is the Moving to Brevard County Florida blog with about 60 posts. My blog on Localism.com is also a compilation of some of the blogs from the different sites.

There are somewhere over 1,100 web posts so far. Why do I spend so much effort on these things?

Because buyers and sellers find me on the Internet through these blogs. When I sell houses I get them attention through the use of blogging.

If you are considering selling your Viera, Rockledge, Cocoa or Suntree (Melbourne) Florida home, call me.

If you found me on the Internet, buyers will find your house here!

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida.

The way we see ourselves is so.....wrong!

I find myself sitting here watching this show on TV called "America's Got Talent." I will admit, and can readily find agreement, that I have absolutely no dancing, singing or theatrical talent, so who am I to judge!

But do people really think they have talent when they do some of these "acts?" Surely, they must kidding us. They must have some two dollar bet with someone that they can get through the auditions!

Now, to my real (estate) point...OK, I am a full time real estate agent in Brevard County Florida so I must drift with the tide...

Sellers see their homes with no flaws. Some sellers fancy themselves as having tremendous decorating, handyman and landscaping talents!

Sellers don't hear the noise from that highway out back. Sellers don't realize the zero lot lines diminish space. Sellers don't see that bright lemon yellow kitchen as anything except bright! Sellers don't recognize that smoke smell or even the smell of that fried fish was last night's dinner. Some sellers believe their home is worth more than the rest in the neighborhood - and they could be right.

It is up to their real estate agent to be honest with them....

If you are considering selling your Brevard County, Florida home, please give me a call to discuss the process and the services I offer my clients.

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida. Email me at agent@moving2brevard.com or call 321-693-3850.

Read my blog at http://www.gwatersc21.activerain.com/.

On-Site Agents Represent the Seller – not you.

I have done it myself. I contracted twice for new construction houses and dealt with the builder’s representative exclusively in both cases. I would like to think I made out OK but I am not sure now 15 years later.

No one ever told me when I stopped by the model home that the representative was really on the other side of the table. I guess I was am a slow learner.

If you are considering a new home purchase, consider having a real estate agent represent you. The folks greeting you in that new model home works for the seller. In Florida there is no dual agency, i.e., a real estate agent can't represent both sides in the same transaction. One party can be represented and the other side "unrepresented."

If the home you are considering is located in a community with an on-site "community" real estate office (such as Indian River Colony Club in Viera), take your real estate agent with you on your first visit. (Remember the seller pays the buyer's real estate agent - not you.)

In situations where there is an exclusive listing arrangement such as in Indian River Colony Club, the on-site sales company is the listing agent for all homes within the community and represents the sellers.

If you are considering buying or selling in Brevard County, Florida, I would welcome a chance to discuss how I may assist you in the process. Call me directly at 321-693-3850 or email agent@moving2brevard.com.

Gary Waters, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida, serving Florida's Space Coast.

Because the damn dog did!

A long time ago in a place far removed from present day technology there was a boy. Perhaps seven or eight years old, he was visiting his grandfather in north Florida. And he was bored.

In the 60’s there was no Internet, no cable TV, and no air conditioning at this house. So this boy played with “granddaddy's dog.” Nearby there was a creek (OK, really a stream with very little water).

Although told to not go down to the gully, he went. Granddaddy found out and “inquired” why. He responded. “because the damn dog did!” Not a nice response.

The boy in question was my younger brother.

Sometimes justifying behavior by pointing out what someone else has done is not necessarily a good strategy.

Take the prevalence of short sales in the current real estate market. I read an article this morning on whether or not walking a way from a mortgage is a moral decision or not.

Some say that many are walking away from upside down mortgages because others are doing the same.

It is not my responsibility to impose my judgment on a seller’s motive. My job when working with sellers is to provide the services necessary to sell the real estate.

Sometimes circumstances change and a person must sell. No one ever buys real estate with the intent of walking away or losing it. Most folks never enter into a mortgage with a plan to default.

Sometimes life happens.

And a short sale is a better alternative than a foreclosure proceeding. If a short sale is something you need to consider, please feel free to contact me.

Gary Waters, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida, 321-693-3850, working with buyers and sellers in Brevard County, Florida.

By the way – I think my brother got a spanking, not for going to the gully but using the word “damn!”

June 2009 Market Report Brevard County Florida

June 2009 single family home sales in Brevard County Florida appear to be well ahead of previous months. This is preliminary data I extracted from the Brevard County MLS system and is only as accurate as the the timely input by involved real estate agents.

As of today there were about 620 single family dwellings sold in June 2009. The average days on the market was 124 which is pretty consistent with the recent months. The average selling price was just under $153,000 while the average listing price was $164,626. The median price of sales was $121,975.

In the Viera, Suntree, Rockledge areas of central Brevard County there were 107 single family units sold in June 2009. While the average days on the market was pretty close to the county as a whole (117), the average selling price was $206,533 with a median selling price of about $175,000. This higher number reflects the recent development in Viera.

The Palm Bay area of south Brevard County had an average selling price of almost $99,000. This reflects the large number of short sales and REO/bank owned properties in the south area of Brevard County.

What does all this say about the Brevard County market? Sellers are selling; buyers are buying at attractive prices!

If you are in the market for a new home in Brevard County, Florida, I would be honored if you gave me a chance to be your Realtor of Choice in Brevard County. Call me directly at 321-693-3850 or email me at agent@moving2brevard.com.

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge, Florida, conveniently located next door to Turtle Creek Golf Course.

What do you like most about your house?

One of the first questions I ask someone when I am asked to make a listing presentation is, "what do you like most about your house?"

I follow that question up with another easy one, "what do you like least about your house?"

Sometimes I don't have to ask the first question because many prospective sellers are quick volunteer their house's main positive attribute.

The second question is rarely disclosed voluntarily, if ever!

Sometimes I may not ask as directly as the above sentences imply. I may frame it in such a way as "if you were going to remain in your house, is there anything you would change?"

This is very similar to the old employment interview question "what is your greatest strength?" and the converse, "what is your greatest weakness?" [By the way , a listing presentation is my job interview.]

Why ask these questions? As a seller we must emphasize (market) from a position of strength. Likewise, we need to de-emphasize any weakness. This may be done via staging, presentation, a fresh cpat of paint or something. This is not saying we should hide anything but we can minimize some characteristics!

Besides, the rule in real estate is disclose...disclose...disclose! That is why sellers (in Florida) complete a questionnaire called a seller's disclosure (creative name, eh?).

Selling your Brevard County, Florida, home? Give me a call to discuss how I may assist you in this process.

Besides, you know what my first two questions will be!

Protecting your tattoo from the sun….Florida Living 101!

I just got an email about protecting my tattoo from the sun.

Being a Florida real estate agent I do spend my share of time in the sun!

However, it is not true that every Florida real estate agent has a tattoo.

I am not sure how I ended up on the receiving end of that email. If you are looking for real estate in Brevard County, Florida, drop me an email to agent@moving2brevard.com.

I assure you that once I receive your email address I will not be hounding you with emails and spam!

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Rockledge Florida. Serving the central Brevard communities of Heritage Isle, Viera, Suntree, Rockledge and the beaches!