So what do the sales* look like for the first half of 2010? As compared to this time last year, prices and sales have remained steady and stable.

First half of 2010

Number of sales: 53
Average Sales Price Per Square Foot = $61.12
Median Sales Price Per Square Foot = $57.50
Average Sales Price = $115,270
Median Sales Price = $102,500
Average Days on Market = 117
Median Days on Market = 77

As compared to 2009 (first half of year)

Number of sales: 67
Average Sales Price Per Square Foot = $61.31
Median Sales Price Per Square Foot = $57.82
Average Sales Price = $116,522
Median Sales Price = $105,000
Average Days on Market = 123
Median Days on Market = 104

Le’ts compare this to the rest of Port St Lucie’s other non-HOA neighborhoods. The average sales price per square foot is $56.57 as compared to Southbend’s $61.12. Not a major difference but somewhat noticeable.

Are you considering buying or selling in Southbend? Let’s chat.
As all buyer’s have heard: right now is a buyer’s market but as some sellers may not realize, if your property is priced strategically and with the right agent, you may end up getting multiple offers on your listing.

You can call me directly at 772-485-3214 or fill out this contact form and let me know what you’re considering.
Even if you think you may owe more than the home is worth, it’s always helpful to get a professional opinion on your property and situation.

Check out more info & photos about Southbend

Start your own search

Information for Sellers

*Sale criteria search was as follows:
6 month range – 12/20/2009 to 06/20/2010
Geo area included neighborhoods south of PSL blvd, east of the Turnpike, west of the N fork of St Lucie River, and north of Tesoro (and Becker Road).
Information obtained from Regional MLS.

The last thing you want, when you’re selling your home, is for a potential buyer to be distracted by your photos, dirty laundry, odd collections, or general messiness.
On more occassion than once, we’ve toured homes that are short sales and a large mess is left behind. It baffles my buyers on how someone who wants to sell their home would leave behind all their “stuff” – even if they are loosing their shirt on the deal.

So whether you’re selling your property as a regular sale or are  [unfortunately] selling as a short sale it’s always a good idea to have the home as tidy as possible as if the President were coming to visit … that is, if you’re serious about selling it.

Are you considering selling? Let’s set up an appointment to talk about putting your property on the market.
It’s important to know what homes in your neighborhood are selling for in the last 90 days and I can give you a market analysis.
Start a conversation here or call me at 772-485-3214.

What goes on at this Agent-only pow-wow?

Madness.

Pure Marketing Madness. 

     Realtors who belong to the St Lucie board meet at 8:30am weekly to mingle, have coffee and pastries, and chat amongst their peers. Then as the clock strikes 9am the madness begins. Each week there is a tour of a particular geographical area. Realtors that have listings in these areas make sure that their homes are “Open” for all of the other agents to tour. After the tour is confirmed and the agents know where they’re going, they are allowed to “pitch” one of their listings. For 30 seconds they tell all of the other Realtors why they should bring their buyers to their property to get it sold.

Want to see what the madness looks like – even if you aren’t a Realtor?
Follow me as I take you through the tour and you get to see what these crazy Realtors do every week.

So what does this mean to a home buyer or seller?

Within the first few months of me becoming an agent I had heard another agent pitch a house in a neighborhood that I had buyers looking in. It’s amazing how listening to someone tell you about a listing is a much more enlightening experience than reading about it on the MLS. So I took my buyers there, they made an offer, and they bought it!

For home sellers – you get the benefit of the opposite of the above little story. If your agent attends Marketing Madness they get to tell all the other agents about your home – which can give greater detail than what is shown on the MLS. Also, when the tour comes to your neighborhood once per quarter you get the benefit of having many agents seeing your home all in a short period of time. This is a good time for your agent to ask for price opinions to make sure that his or her peers think that your property is within the market price and is competitive. Other agents generally give feedback on what you could do to make the home “show” better, as well.

If you’re thinking about listing your home for sale and you’re interviewing different agents, make sure to ask if they attend the Realtor’s Marketing Madness.

If you’re ready to start searching for homes, or if you have decided that it’s time to sell your current property, contact me to talk about your options and find what will work best for you.

Hope Now is an alliance between HUD approved counseling agents, mortgage companies, investors, and other mortgage market participants that provide free foreclosure prevention assistance.

Use the self-assessment tools provided on this website to see if you are among the 7 to 9 million homeowners who may be able to benefit from Making Home Affordable.

If your home is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac you may be eligible for a Making Home Affordable Refinance to take advantage of lower interest rates. Only loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie or Freddie are eligible.

• Fannie Mae Loan Look-Up or call 1-800-7FANNIE (8am to 8pm EST)
• Freddie Mac – call 1-800-FREDDIE (8am to 8pm EST)

Find a HUD-approved counseling agency in your area.

The Financial Stability Plan, straight from the government, is a website packed with press releases, news, reports, and much more.

If you’ve done the research and come to find that your only possible option is to short sale your home, please contact me to discuss how I can make this a smooth process for you.

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• When Your Home Is Worth Less Than You Owe

To obtain any of these three require an individual’s tastes and preferences. The third necessity – Shelter – or, more aptly stated – a home – takes more than just knowing your likes and dislikes.

If there were a one-size-fits-all approach to buying a home we could go shopping for one at Walmart. Alas, it is not quite that easy and the process can be tedious and unpredictable. Having someone you can trust to guide you through the process is important. Generally, the average home buyer starts their search for a home online and then looks to family or friends for a referral to a real estate agent or Realtor (an agent that belongs to the National Association of Realtors).

This is the important part, because the real estate agent is the person to bring all parties together, facilitate important information, and make the process run smoothly. In a perfect world your agent would find you a house (or list and sell your home) with ease and minimal stress and everyone would show up to the closing table with smiling faces and a good nights sleep. However, we live in the real world and it’s imperative that your agent is accessible and can have the knowledge and foresight to anticipate potential issues and then help navigate you through the process to bring you to that desired “happy ending.”

Some qualities to look for when choosing your agent:

Accessibility: How easily is it to get ahold of your agent? Do they work another job full time and real estate is just a part time gig? Having an agent with mobile email, such as a Blackberry or other smartphone, almost guarantees that the agent will be in-the-know regarding your communication and needs, even if they can’t respond immediately. 

Reliability: Your real estate agent is your guide and is there to support you through the process by interpreting and advising you on situations that are unclear or unfamiliar. As your guide, your agent should promptly respond to your calls or emails and you shouldn’t have to worry whether they’ll get back to you. Follow up and follow through are important characteristics to possess. If you have to wait more than half a day for a response (and then the dreaded excuse), then you’re probably waiting too long. 

Communication: Even if this isn’t your first home purchase (or sale), an agent should explain the process and what comes next so that your expectations can be set. Should your expectations go unmet, your agent will hopefully be in communication beforehand to explain why an issue or deadline may not be met and what can be done to fix it. Also, a real estate agent should keep you informed of their whereabouts – as when they may take a weekend away or may have a day of training and not be easily accessible to communicate via email or phone. 

Experience and Foresight: The longer your agent has been in the industry the more experience they will have to be be able to predict and anticipate various circumstances and situations. This is a very important factor. If your agent can foresee an issue with an appraisal or detect that another party is not being honest then they can save you the frustration and the emotional stress that comes when dealing with last minute issues. 

Trust and Honesty: It’s great when an agent is in-the-know and can almost literally predict the future of your transaction, but if they’re not honest and upfront with you then they’re worthless. If you have to doubt what you’re being told then you may want to reconsider beginning a real estate relationship with this particular agent. The scary thing is that this could be hard to detect up front if the real estate agent gives you a good sales pitch and promises you the world. Be skeptical and have them prove they are working for you and have your interests at heart. The sooner you know your agent is trustworthy and painfully honest, the better. You don’t want to be half-way through the process of buying or selling a house and realize your agent is treating you like a paycheck now that they have you sold  and will ultimately drop you for the next hot prospect.

You will know when you find a good real estate agent. They’ll work hard for you up front, let you know what they’re doing on your behalf, communicate with you frequently to let you know of progress, and at the end of the day you can breath a sigh of relief because you can trust that they will be reliable and will be there for you until the end. Generally you will find that someone is trustworthy and honest when they demonstrate up front that they are reliable, accessible, and communicate frequently with you to let you know what comes next.

Working with a Realtor is a relationship. When both parties understand each other, their goals, and their general way of communicating, then the process should be smooth. The mechanics of finding you some shelter now becomes a journey to find you a dream home and … who knows … you may both become life-long friends. (You can’t find that at Walmart).

If you’re looking for an agent that possesses all of the above characteristics, please contact me.