American Sand Sculpting Championships on Fort Myers Beach

 

One of my all time favorite events is the American Sand Sculpting Championships on Fort Myers Beach. We are always amazed at the talent, hard work, & stamina it takes to build these beautiful sculptures from a pile of sand. We love to take the boat and spend the day. Here are some pictures I took from last years event. Don't miss this years, 11-22 - 12-1-2013 for more info http://fmbsandsculpting.com/  see ya there!!

 



What is my homes value? What is the value of my home?

I can give you a no hassle, prompt, accurate, professional estimate of your home’s value today. Call 239-246-5660 or visit http://dfoster.us/contact-me.html .

There are so many variables to a home’s market value, it’s impossible for these national search engines to be truly accurate. That being said, some web sites below can be a good first step to selling your home or finding out your homes real market value. Warning: the estimate may vary.

The internet searches vary from hard to navigate and having to give your personal information to easy and quick home value estimates. I searched through many of the Google first page results to save you time. Below are sites that I found easy to navigate, fast, with tons of helpful information. I did not have to give any of my personal information.

Quick and easy online searches

Zillow has been around for years and is a very user friendly and fairly accurate.

http://www.zillow.com/how-much-is-my-home-worth/ 

Ziprealty was pretty nice. It gave me a “Zip Quote” 3 different estimates from 3 different sites. Only problem here is one was 100k too high. 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. http://www.ziprealty.com/

Chase: very easy quick results

https://www.chase.com/mortgage/mortgage-resources/home-value-estimator 

Home value map was also a very good site, but was a little low on that particular property.

http://www.homevaluemap.com/ 

Finding that sweet spot (market value) is extremely complex. It requires hard work, experience and market knowledge.

The appraiser has to be satisfied or the deal could be dead. The buyer has to feel like they have received a fair price. The seller needs to know that the realtor priced the home right, used the latest marketing techniques for maximum worldwide exposure, negotiated the highest price possible and sold the home fast with little hassle. Would you trust thousands of dollars to just any Realtor?

     David A. Foster Realtor®  GRI, Epro

                    http://www.davefoster1.realtor         239-246-5660

What is a CDD and how will it affect market value of a home?

A Community Development District is a special purpose form of local government described as an independent taxing district. This district exist under Florida Statue Chapter 190 http://www.ccfj.net/FS190CDD.html . The district in my community is governed by a board of 5 supervisors.

There is a misconception that the Developer/Builder borrows money from the County in the form of bonds to pay for amenities. The District (CDD) as a government entity, issues municipal bonds on the lands within the boundaries of the district to fund public infrastructure in the community such as roads, storm water systems, drainage, Utilities etc. It does not normally cover amenities such as pools, clubhouses, golf courses, tennis courts etc.

The CDD imposes a special assessment against all land owners whether it’s a developer, builder, or end user within the community. The bond is usually paid over a 30 year period. So if you purchased a 5 year old home in a neighborhood with a CDD you would inherit 25 years of CDD payments. When the bond is paid off you may still have to pay a maintenance fee. This is called an “Operation and Maintenance Assessment”. This lower payment is for the day to day operations, management and maintenance of the CDD. This is the second component and may be seen on your annual Real Property tax bill.

To see details of your Lee County Florida tax history, or if a property has a CDD, go to www. leetc.com Look at the top middle of the page where it says,” did you know you can also” Click Search Real Property Records –That will bring you to this link.

http://www.leetc.com/search_criteria.asp?searchtype=RP&c=home&r=1&page_id=searchcriteria

You can search by Account number, Personal ID#, Name or Address. I have good luck with address. Click on Details, and then Tax Details then look under non ad valorem assessments. There you will find the Name of the Community Development District and the annual amount of the CDD. This may only show the total.  If you want an Operation and Maintenance Assessment breakdown, payoff date and amount or any other information, you can contact the CDD’s name listed. If Google doesn’t work you can contact the Tax Collectors office @ 239-533-6000 to get the phone number of the CDD.

Is a CDD different than an HOA? YES

A Homeowners Association is a not for profit Corporation which is made up of members or homeowners within a specific geographic boundary, and is considered private. These HOA fees are charge separately and have nothing to do with the CDD.

Before you get down on CDD’s, there should be many factors to consider.

1.       When purchasing a home, the CDD should be considered in your budget just as any other expense would.  Include them with P&I, taxes & insurance etc. This may be used as ammunition with your proposed offer.

2.       Is the community with the CDD where you want to live? Have location, demographics, infrastructure and amenities that fit your lifestyle and you will use? Does the price of the home compare to communities close by with no CDD?

3.       Some home owners like the fact that the above mentioned items in their community are for the people in that community and not shared. For instance, if you live in a City, that City may add a pool and recreation center across town that you will never use. Guess who helps pay for it? Everyone in the City, they don’t have a choice. (I am not mocking City living, I have friends that live in the City and love it, this is only an example)This way you have the right to pick a community with the amenities for you. I hope this makes sense.

To summarize, you may not want to disregard a community that has a CDD if you can get the Location, amenities, utilities and home you want. Look at the comparable sales and consider all the factors before you make an offer. So does a CDD affect the market value of a home? A CDD payment is an expense that has to be factored in with the homes price. So my humble opinion is yes.

Written by: David A. Foster Realtor, GRI, E-pro, www.davefoster1.realtor 239-246-5660

Some of the proceeding information was extracted from CATALINA AT WINKLER PRESERVE                                      COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT GENERAL INFORMATION PRESENTATION.

        Furnished by Rizzetta & Company, Inc.
         8529 South Park Circle, Ste 330
         Orlando, FL 32819

Special Thanks to Valerie Barreto Senior Finance Associate for her professional assistance.

Struggling to make your Mortgage payment?

While doing research on foreclosure procedures and information, I stumbled across a web site that is stuffed with information about loan modifications, tools and recourses that are proven to prevent foreclosure.
Operation Restoration http://www.operationrest.org/Home is a web site devoted to help consumers avoid foreclosure and help with information referring to loan modification's. As Realtors, we should keep the American dream of home ownership alive. I am blessed enough to own several properties. I hope that the true hard working people that are struggling can use this link to help save the homes their family's enjoy.

David Foster GRI E-Pro

Hero Program! Thank you to Heroes with Cash Back

 As a local Fort Myers firefighter for over 20 years, I understand how important Firefighters, Police Officers, Federal Officers, Medical Professionals, Teachers, and Military men and women are to our community! So I would like to say Thank You heroes for what you do!! US armed forces & Vets, Police, Fire, EMS, Teachers, Doctors, Nurses; Buying or selling a home? Whether you are retired or in service, get cash back at closing! Why? Because I appreciate your service! I've been doing this since 2006 and have saved my clients thousands of dollars. Put $500.00 of my commission for every $100,000 of contract price, in your pocket to do whatever you want with!! Up to $10,000. Buy appliances, furniture, pay bills, go on vacation. No catches, no gimmicks. Call me today at 239.246.5660 to get started 
David Foster GRI E-Pro
www.davefoster1.realtor

example: $350,000 contract price. $500.00 cash back to you for every $100,000 = $1500 cash in your pocket at closing. $100,000-$200,000 = $500.00 Cash Back $200,000-$300,000 = $1000 Cash back
$300,000-$400,000 = $1500 cash back etc..

The most Important step in selling your home.

The most important step in selling your home is finding that sweet spot, the accurate market value of your home. If it’s priced too high, you will know in the first few weeks.

The biggest mistake home sellers make is pricing their new listing too high thinking they can always lower the price later.

 Seasoned Realtors watch the new listings coming on the market each day. These new listings are introduced on all the international Real Estate web sites and viewed by thousands of potential home buyers. This is when your listing gets the most exposure.  You only get one chance to make a great first impression.  A high priced listing is going to help your neighbor sell their home & waste precious time. The first 2 or 3 weeks are critical!! If the listing is priced to low a Realtor is leaving the seller's money on the table. This to me is a disservice to the customer.  

Getting a true accurate market value of your home takes research, market knowledge and experience. There are so many factors that equate into the formula.  A computer based home value engine treats all homes by price and square footage. It doesn’t take into consideration if a home was well cared for, has an updated master bath or is backed up to a main road. When a buyer applies for a mortgage the new lender sends a competent appraiser out to evaluate the property.

 If the contract price is higher than the appraised value, the whole process of showing your home, taking it off the market when the contract was signed, etc., was all a waste of time. This is a very complex evaluation reviewing recent sold properties in your area and comparing them to the subject property. Every detail of the property will be considered and compared with the recent sold properties in your area.

 If you are considering selling your home it may be worth more than you think. For a true, accurate market value of your home that is backed up by facts,  contact me and I will visit your home and do a complete comparable market analysis. Then I will show you my international marketing plan that will get more qualified buyers into your home.

David Foster GRI

239-246-5660

Web Site www.davefoster1.realtor

I can't afford my mortgage payments but I can't sell because I'm UPside DOWN!!!!

I wanted to share something with you that may benefit your finances in regards to your current mortgage.  IF you are currently upside down on your loan which many people are, and have unsuccessfully tried to get your lender to modify your balance or rate with no luck, then this might work.  I have not sent out any mortgage modification e-mails in the past, because the majority of the ones that were rolled out were simply glorified forbearance programs that most families did not qualify for anyway and had to spend 6 months sending in paperwork.  This is being done for primary residences only.

This will be very fast and easy, I promise.  You do need to meet 3 things first to see if you are eligible and then take step 2.  Follow instructions below:

1.       Go to the following links and input the minimal information requested to see if your loan is insured by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.  If you know you have an FHA loan, then STOP as they are not participating in the HARP 2 program

http://www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup/  This link is for Fannie

https://ww3.freddiemac.com/corporate/  This link is for Freddie

If your loan is currently insured by either one of these, then proceed to step 2

2.      You must be current on your last 12 months payments to be eligible for this program, and will be qualified with a simple debt to income formula to be sure you meet the guidelines.  If you are current, then proceed to step 3.

3.      Call your current lender and ask them IF they are participating in the HARP 2 refinance or loan modification program and go from there.  There is NO appraisal done on this program and it does not matter how upside down you may or may not be.  PRMI is not writing these deals, but the majority of people I have spoken to have completed them in 2-3 weeks w/ little hassle.

Thank you to our Guest Blogger.... Brad Stahlhut from Primary Residential Mortgage!

David Foster GRI E-Pro