It may not be the nicest home in the neighborhood but..

It can be the cleanest!

If you are considering selling your home in the Viera area, you want to make it stand out. What makes a home stand out in a potential buyer's mind?

• It could be the one with the most beautiful yard. Great curb appeal is wonderful...sell them on the outside first and it sets the mindset positive!


• It could be your neighborhood. The entry way to your neighborhood may be manicured. All the other homes in the neighborhood may be well maintained.


• It could be the location. After all, in real estate it is location.


• It could be the interior....clean and spotless or filthy and disheveled!

A dirty home is not the way you want to be remembered! Dirty doors, sticky kitchen cabinets, dirty refrigerator, toilets that need cleaning...lots of ways to be "filthy!"

A wise person once said "if you can smell it, you can't sell it!" Your mother probably said "cleanliness is next to godliness." Regardless of how you put it, selling a dirty home is a challenge. Buyers will understand if you are still living in the home....but it still must be reasonably clean!

Considering selling your Viera, Rockledge or Suntree home? I would welcome a chance to be your Realtor of Choice. Gary Waters, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Melbourne, Florida.

It is not easy being......

Was it Kermit the Frog who said it wasn't easy being green? I think so. It is not easy being a real estate agent in today's market. It is not easy being a middle class American trying to raise a family. It is not easy being 24 years old and learning life is not always fair.

It is not easy being....a SELLER!

There are tons of challenges that face us each day. If we were given our "druthers" we would choose other routes. Sometimes life's situations require that we sell our home in a buyer's market. That is not easy.

But, as with all of life's other challenges, there is a way to succeed and overcome the challenges we face.

How does one sell in a buyer's market?

The first thing is to price your home correctly. Regardless of all the marketing tools available, price is the most effective! I am not talking about a fire sale or giving away the homestead. No, just price it fairly on your current market.

I can't tell you what the right price is for your market...unless you live in Brevard County Florida. The person to tell you the right price is a competent real estate professional. Every market is different although the media likes to portray the market as one big market. No, real estate is local. And your local pro knows what the right price is!

There are other key considerations....taking care of the little problems you have deferred....getting rid of the excess "junk"....staging the home professionally...and other ways to be a successful seller.

My recommendation? Find a reliable, knowledgeable, local agent who knows your area and is willing to work hard! It is not easy being a seller but it is possible.

If you are looking to sell in the Viera, Suntree, Baytree, Rockledge and Cocoa areas of Florida, give me a call. Drop me an email to agent@moving2brevard.com . I will tell you what I think and you decide...no obligation. If the fit is right. I want to be your real estate professional.

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

Are You "Acting" like a buyer or a seller?

I was reading something this morning. It was actually my daily morning mediation but it got me to thinking about how we behave. The real point was that we may profess to be something but others will know us by our actions!

This particular reading was targeted toward the way we live our lives. But, it also can be applied to the real estate business. In actuality it can be applied to sellers and buyers!

First, let me tackle the "buyer" actions. If you really are a buyer you will/ have

• Your financing in place before you start looking at homes.
• Know what you must have in a house. I
• Know the area of your search.
• Know your timeline.
• You are ready to make a decision.

If you are "acting" like a buyer you will skip most of the steps above and, above all else, not be committed to really finding a property! I am sure you get the picture.

Now, what about the "seller" actions? If you really are a seller you will:

• Select a knowledgeable real estate agent who knows your neighborhood
• Price your home at a competitive, reasonable list price
• Prepare your home to be shown to "strangers"
• Make your home available at reasonable hours for showing appointments
• Negotiate in good faith when a reasonable offer is presented
• Accommodate the potential buyers when it comes to inspections and other necessary actions to close the deal.

If you are "acting" like a seller you will select your agent based on the one who tells you they will list for the highest price. You will make it difficult for your home to be shown. You will not worry about "fixing" anything. You will let the potential buyers try to envision the home without all that "stuff" in the way. Again, I am sure you got the picture.

There are two good matches in the residential real estate world -

Buyers who are acting who view property offered by sellers who are acting. And, buyers who are really buying finding the perfect home offered by the seller who is really selling.

Which match would you rather be a part of?

Interested in really buying or selling in the Brevard County Florida areas of Viera, Suntree, Rockledge, or Cocoa? Please feel free to give me a call or email me at agent@moving2brevard.com .

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

Viera Florida to get new hospital - finally!

It seems that the new 100-bed Viera hospital will finally get built! A ruling this week gave Health First the OK to move forward with its planned Viera campus.

Health First, which already runs three hospitals in Brevard County, has been engaged in legal battles for several years from local rival, Wuesthoff Hospital. Wuesthoff owns two hospitals - one in nearby Rockledge and the new facility in Melbourne.

With all the tremendous growth in Viera (as well as Suntree and Rockledge) it is hoped the new facility will be completed sometime in 2010. Health First has plans for physician offices and other facilities as well. Its huge fitness center appears to be nearing completion now.

With Viera offering great shopping, restaurants, lots of new housing choices, sports facilities, parks, wonderful golf courses (Duran, Baytree, Viera East), easy access to I-95....well, actually Viera offers a lifestyle - a Florida lifestyle, it is nice to see the hospital construction getting the OK.

Interested in Viera real estate? Please give me a call or drop me an email. My office is located in Viera so I know the area! Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty.

How does the Foreclosure market impact your "normal" sale"

It has been said by many "experts" - the market is what it is! That is so enlightening! If you look in any neighborhood in Brevard County, Florida, I am sure you will find a "distressed" property for sale (probably more).

What is a distressed property? I consider these to be properties that are being sold as bank-owned (REO), pre-foreclosure, foreclosed, or short sale properties. Regardless of label, these are not your common real estate listings.

If now is the time for you to have or place your home on the market, take heart. Sure, the market is what it is but that does not mean you can't sell!

You just have to be aware that you have some additional competition!

There are buyers out there who may be attracted to the "bargain basement" price but that is not all buyers. I submit that most buyers want a nice home, in a nice neighborhood, in move-in condition, without a ton of liens to be cleared before closing. And they want to close now - not 2,3,4 or more months down the road!

It does take a special type of buyer for these distressed market. That buyer may be an investor. That buyer may be a "handyman" with lots of repair skills. That buyer may be a first time homebuyer with patience, energy, and the time to "make it new again!"

But most buyers do not want a fixer upper.

And, they, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, are your target market. There are more than enough houses for each type of buyer to choose from. So, now that you know who your buyer will more than likely be, it is up to you and your chosen real estate agent to market to your potential pool of buyers.

So, does the foreclosure market hurt you? I say not really because your buyer is not a foreclosure buyer. However, admittedly, prices are lower than they were.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the Viera, Suntree or Rockledge areas of Brevard County Florida, give me a call. Looking to purchase a golf course home in Florida, Call me. Interested in Baytree Golf course, homes, call me.

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Melbourne Florida. After all, Baytree is in our name! Telephone 1-800-651-6940 or email me at agent@moving2brevard.com .

Please read my other blog at www.activerain.com/blogs/gwatersc21 .

Are you really a motivated seller?

I reviewed a Brevard County MLS entry today. The real estate agent says the seller is motivated. Then I wondered....

If so, why has the home been listed for 182 days without a single price reduction? And, on top of that, why is the list price higher than any other home currently for sale in the neighborhood?

When working with my buyers I try to find homes that meet their needs. I try to find homes in their desired area. Then, when I see a home that screams "seller motivated" in the first sentence of the narrative - I get excited!

Then the disappointment of seeing the characteristics described above! At this point I must move on.....

If you really are motivated I suggest you price correctly and also adjust the price at some point if no one has looked at your property.

I believe that newly listed homes have their "golden period." That is the first few weeks when the new listing "hits the street." The greatest activity will probably happen early on. If you have passed the "golden period," look at your motivation.

Gary Waters, Florida licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Baytree Realty, Melbourne Florida. Email me at agent@moving2brevard.com or call me at 1-321-255-2600 or 1-800-651-6940 if you are interested in either buying or selling your Viera, Suntree or Rockledge home.

Please read my blog at www.activerain.com/blogs/gwatersc21