Robin Landis

Wendell, Did you find a home in LOL yet? If you are still looking, please contact me, as there are lots of homes under $200k at this time. Also Pasco County/Land O'Lakes qualifies for a home loan program guaranteed by the USDA(yes, like the meat people) that is a 100% loan. They still have our area catagorized as "rural" though it is really not very rural at all, so that loan program has assisted us in getting buyers into their new home with no down payment. And, we may be able to negotiate with the seller to pay your closing costs. Then you can put that $10,000 away for a rainy day.

Robin Landis
ERA Dennis Realty
813-997-3218
RLandis@ERADennis.com - Thu Jul 10 2008, 22:13

Hey Donna!!
What seems to be the holdup on your move? You posted your question in April. Have you spoken to any realtors down here in Florida to assist you? Do you have a target date for your move? Or are you still "just looking"?? I would be glad to help you out. There are alot of areas as I stated before that would fit your needs here in Pasco County(Lutz, Land O'Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Port Richey). If you'd like to e-mail me, I can send you some links to available homes for you to view.

Robin Landis
ERA Dennis Realty
813-997-3218
RLandis@ERADennis.com - Thu Jul 10 2008, 22:01

Hi Donna,
I may be able to assist you. There are lots of areas in Pasco County that may fit your needs. Zephryhills, New Port Richey, Port Richey or Hudson. Are you familiar with any of these areas? Feel free to e-mail me at RLandis@ERADennis.com if I may be of assistance to you. I am located right here in Pasco county. - Sun Apr 20 2008, 21:13

There seems to be alot of differing opinions about whether or not you should buy now, knowing that you will be selling in 3 years. Michael I think had the best answer-do the math and see what really makes the most sense for you. And if you do buy, are you willing to become a landlord if the market continues to decline for a while yet? While Florida may rebound quicker than some areas, make no mistake that there will be many, many, many more bank foreclosures before the market stabilizes because we will have to sell off all that inventory over the next year or 2. No one ever predicted that the market would be on a decline since late 2005 or early 2006. How long will it last? My crystal ball is in the shop so I just can't answer that. And, if I did it would be a disservice to you because how many people are left now going into foreclosure, losing their dream homes because someone said jump in over your head and you can refinance in 2 years when the market goes even higher!!

So, all that being said-consider all your options, do the math, look at the pros & cons, and if you buy, make sure you have an exit strategy if things don't go the way you are hoping they will. If everything lines up to your satisfaction, then go out there a find a good deal-buy right so you can sell right later!! Good luck!! - Thu Jul 10 2008, 21:47

Hi Dave,
Sylvia gave you some great suggestions to help get your home sold, but ultimately price will be the determining factor. If you are upside down, then you need to be talking with your lender to see if something can be worked out. You didn't mention why you are selling-is it necessary to sell now because of hardship or job transfer? If it is not absolutely necessary that you sell now, I would suggest you look at the option of staying for a few more years or renting it out as an investment property as someone else suggested. Check with a good CPA for all the tax benefits you may experience by becoming a landlord. Just be sure to background check any potential tenant with a reliable agency.

Best of luck to you! There are buyers out there. You just need to be the best home at the best price in your neighborhood to capture them. - Thu Jul 10 2008, 21:24

Anders,
Why are you spending all the time & gas to do what a buyers agent can do for you for FREE?? When you are working with a realtor everyday is an open house because we can take you to see the homes you are interested in on YOUR schedule. Are you a serious buyer who is pre-approved for a mortgage(or cash buyer) who is ready to make an offer or are you just window shopping?
When you are ready to buy a particuliar home, who will write the offer? The agent who is listing the home and REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF THE SELLER?? Don't think that you will get a better deal by going to the listing agent because we just get paid both sides of the deal and then have to represent the transaction. If you have an agent in your corner , we are going to help you to negotiate the best price and guide you through the paperwork, inspections, etc all the way through.(FREE TO YOU!)
You are also missing alot of great homes in your search that are not doing open houses. Get someone who will work hard for you-there are alot of great homes and highly motivated sellers out there who are willing to negotiate.
Happy hunting!!! - Wed Jun 18 2008, 06:42

Earlier this year, Pres Bush signed a bill that says homeowners will no longer be issued a 1099 and taxed on the amount of the deficiency in the short sale. Long story short-you WILL NOT be taxed on the difference between what is owed to the bank and what the home sells for. WHEW!! That is a relief for alot of home sellers. I believe it was signed in January of this year-maybe someone here can reference this.

One more thing-if you need to do the short sale-DO IT. Don't wait until the 11th hour where your foreclosure court date is looming before you. A short sale shows the debt was satisfied and will only affect your credit for the next 12-24 months. Foreclosure has way worse consequences to your credit. Talk to your lender. Try to work something out. See what your options are. Then proceed confidently and put this all behind you. You are not alone by any stretch of the imagination! - Mon Jun 9 2008, 10:34

Thanks Tman. If you have sold a dozen houses via open houses then I would have to surmise that the homes were in heavily travelled areas or that you were priced cinsiderably under market. I'm not saying that open houses never work, but you must choose very carefully where you do them because it can be very disappointing to the seller as well as the agent when no one shows up. :0( I think you get way more shoppers and potential buyers by doing a virtual tour. That's just what works for me. I guess as long as we get it sold for the best price in the shortest amount of time possible, then it doesn't really matter what tool we pull out of the old tool box does it? - Thu May 29 2008, 19:33

According to National Association of Realtors (NAR) statistics less than 1% of homes sold are due to open houses. Most agents only do opens to satisfy the wishes of the seller or to try to prospect for buyers. My last open house I paid $150 to advertise for 2 days and then spent 3-4 hours fighting to stay awake(the lite music I put on to create a nice atmosphere got to me!). No one showed up on Sat or Sunday!! Why did I do it? Because the seller wanted it and we were getting almost no showings and NO offers.

NOW, think about this question- Who is attending these open houses? Nosy neighbors, bored people looking for new decorating ideas(really-I'm not kidding), theives who may be casing the place for later or just taking small items like your prescription drugs out of the bathroom cabinet or people who desire to buy a home but have not been pre-qualified to see if they can get a mortgage and if they can afford your house. For me, I feel LESS SAFE THAN EVER BEFORE sitting in a house for 4 hours that I have told strangers just stop on by and let's visit. Let's face it-people are getting desparate in these lean times and there have been agents injured and killed doing their job. Those same creeps may be stopping by you open house and taking note of the nice 52" flat screen TV, stereo system, etc.........

There IS an exception-one of our local title companies and a mortgage company are partnering with 100 local agents to do one big open house day in the area. The "shoppers" have to go to a designated starting point to register and to receive the list of homes that are open for their inspection. This will be widely and heavily advertised and we anticipate a fantastic response!! NOW THAT'S AN OPEN HOUSE!!! ((This will be in the Tampa Bay area June 21st if anyone reading this is interested contact me!))

My closing thought-trust in your realtor but don't be afraid to ask questions like what are you doing to create exposure for my home? Are we priced right? What is the average selling time on the market in my area? How much competition does my home have and how does it rank? The market is still adjusting and people are starting to be a little more active in shopping & buying-wait till school gets out and see if there is a little more action.

Hope this helps!! Best of luck to you!! Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you ever decide to trade in your snow shovel for a pair of sunglasses and flip flops here in the Tampa area!! :0) I spent 7 years in Bloomington, MN-I don't miss my snow shovel!!!

Robin Landis, Realtor
ERA Dennis Realty
813-997-3218-cell
RLandis@ERADennis.com - Thu May 29 2008, 18:12