Peter,

You present an interesting question. One that most people have given little attention.......the majority of people have been caught up in the hype of "foreclosures" and "short sales" thinking these types of sales are automatically the best current real estate opportunities. Make no mistakke there are good deals to be had BUT.....................................

it you consider the bulk of "foreclosures" and "short sales" have resulted because of loans that were made when home were priced at an all-time high...post-2003 the present owners have little to no room to negotiate before being upside-down. This places a bit of a damper on the allure of these transactions.

Our message is that serious buyers should not over look today's regular sales...especially homes that were purchased before 2003. These owners bought when homes were reasonably priced and thus can afford to give more ground and sell for less. This is the nich where often the best deals are found....It's a matter of identifying the truly motivated seller.

Please feel free to contact us with any real estate questions.
P.S. We have a son in Brockport and another in Buffalo

The "Eckler Team"
Century 21 Almar and Associates
Venice, Fl 34285
ecklerteam@comcast.net

Mon May 12 2008, 17:39

All of those would be best for you. Please understand that if you are looking for a great deal I believe that it dosen't have to be a short sale or a foreclosure. Short sales take alot of time and you don't know if you have the deal until the bank looks at all the offers. So you are in competion and with the short sales I've done the prices have been the same as a non short sale. Ft. Myers and Bonita Springs are wonderful area's to live in. The trick is to find not only a good price but also one that dosen't have alot of fee's attached to it. You really have to check out the fee's.
I would love to build a long term real estate relationship with you. I know you are not moving right away but lets start looking now.
Thanks,
Cyndi Grabthehousekey
Keller Williams World Class
239-887-2635

Fri May 9 2008, 18:53

That is a great question considering we have so much to choose from right now. It would be less risky to go with a new or resale home. Usually you would think you would get the best price from a foreclosure, and you might as long as you are willing to put some work into the property. Another option, if you have a little bit of time and patience, is to make an offer on a short sale property. The owners typically have taken care of it and they are usually priced a tad bit under market value. You can find some really wonderful properties this way!

Wed Apr 23 2008, 12:26

Hello my name is Bill Simmons and I am a Broker/ Associate with Prudential Florida WCI Realty in Fort Myers. Any of the catagories may or may not work for you. Your catagory is what counts and what should ultimatly lead you to the right home. First and most important is the area and type of neighborhood you wish to live in based on your life needs, work, School, medical, etc. Then shopping for the home that best suites your needs versus your price range. It's a process made simple by your agent doing his/her homework based on the criteria you give them. You are welcome to search for ideas at my WEB site,
www.RiverLandingsGroup.com Best Wishes, Bill Simmons

Tue Apr 15 2008, 07:43

I agree with everything that everyone had to say but will throw some other information into the mix...

New homes can be a good deal if the builder/owner want to move it but otherwise they can be higher than a resale and building a new home is not a very good deal in the present market....it is cheaper to buy from the existing inventory unless you want some custom features no one has to sell.

Foreclosures are "as is" so whatever is needing repair is on you. Thomas Melton was talking about that so really do your homework on the house you want and be prepared to wait. You will need a REALTOR that is ready to put a lot of time in to get the deal closed. I know this from my own experience.

If you got any other questions I would be gather to answer them anytime...

Sun Jan 6 2008, 18:19

There are deals to be had across all spectrums. See enough properties in order to determine your own value. If it is a foreclosure or a short sale/pre-foreclosure be prepared to possibly wait for a while.

I was at a wedding in an old Polish church in Rochester last year....it was a beautiful building but the area around it was really depressed.

Good luck with the transition.....fi you need property sent to you let us know.

Sun Jan 6 2008, 13:40

That really depends on how much you want to be involved with repairs and remodeling. I you buy new you will probably be paying the most. If you buy resale, you may find the best deal depending on how motivated the sellers are. If you buy a foreclosure home, at first they look like a deal. But if you add up all the repairs you may be paying a more than you think. The answer is, it all depends. There is no black or white answer when you ask where you will find the best deal. But i would recommend looking in the newspaper typically you will find the best deal buy buying from a motivated seller. The more motivated the better deal. When speaking to the sellers find out what there motivations are, that will have you determine how good of a deal you may be getting.
hope this helps
Thomas

Sun Jan 6 2008, 11:39

Peter,

That is an excellent question. We work with all of those categories. If you not ready to purchase for at least a year it probably doesn't make sense to start looking quite yet. If you are thinking about relocating in the next 3 months you should start shopping now though.

There are many homes & condos in the current listing inventory that match your criteria. If you'd like a list of these homes sent to you feel free to contact us.

Sun Jan 6 2008, 10:49