Bonita Springs Florida Central

So, What Happens To Tenants When A Home is Foreclosed?

A common occurrence we’re running into Southwest Florida while showing buyers real estate is tenant occupied properties. It’s not unusual to have a tenant in a property, but to have the majority of properties we show in one day be tenant occupied is unusual. The real estate boom produced its share of rental properties.

As a real estate agent organizing properties for my buyers to view I am now making appointments for about 50% more properties than needed because of the “failure rate”. By failure rate I mean, the appointments will be cancelled or not accepted by the tenant. We can’t get in unless the tenant approves the appointment. It is understandable that sometimes life interferes with appointment time frames. People have company in town, kids are sick home from school or maybe they just didn’t have time to clean up. I can’t help but think that most of the time the tenants are just being difficult. They don’t realize it, but they could unknowingly be contributing to the expedited eviction that they will soon face.

Continue Reading:  For Sale While For Rent

 Bonita Springs Blues Festival March 15, 2008

The second annual Bonita Blues Festival on March 15 at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs.

The concert will run from noon-8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.  The festival will feature fabulous blues bands, diverse and sumptuous food, and vendor booths.

Featured bands and artists include:

• John Mooney, will headline the second annual Bonita Blues Festival.

  Blind Pass - a six-piece bluesy and funky progressive experiment with groove-oriented music.

• Little Eddie and the Fat Fingers - a band that creates a sound reminiscent of the 1940s Chicago scene, 50s Boogie Woogie and early rock n’ roll.

• Albert Castiglia - a leading guitarist and vocalist whose acoustic side is pure Delta and is considered to be among the next generation of hot, young, blues-committed guitarists.

• Frank Corso - Corso has been playing country blues and ragtime guitar for many years. Centering himself in the Delta-style slide guitar in the tradition of Robert Johnson and ragtime and east coast Piedmont styles such as Rev. Gary Davis.

The net proceeds from the Bonita Blues Festival will support the Immokalee Friendship House, the Shelter for Abused Women & Children and Healthy Start of SW Florida. For tickets and additional information, call 947-0715 or visit bonitabluesfestival.com.

Printable brochure for the Bonita Blues Festival here.

To learn more about the Bonita Blues Festival, visit the Official Bonita Blues Festival Website.

Riverside Park is located on Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs, Florida just south of Everglades Wonder Gardens.  Directions from I-75 exit 116 to West on Bonita Beach Road to North on Old 41 Road to Festival.  Directions from US 41/Tamiami Trail to East on Bonita Beach Road to North on Old 41 Road.  Google Map.

If this deal is so good, why are so many passing it up?

 

Same handwriting, new angle. This isn't as juicy sounding as "Sneaky ways to lower your house payment" but it was cluttering up the same pole. (Corner of Three Oaks Parkway and Corkscrew Road)

If you're REALLY looking for a way to lower your house payment call me and I'll give you the name of three LOCAL mortgage brokers I know and respect, with a bricks and mortar location and a sign that isn't stapled to a pole. Guaranteed, they've been in the business for years and will be here long after everyone else. Oh, and when you call them, you'll get to speak to them, not listen to some shuck and jive message.

Last fall I received a call to list a condo in Forest Creek Villas in Bonita Springs.  I'd driven by the community for the last 20 years and never had an opportunity to show or list one of the homes before, until now.  There isn't a great deal of turn over or sales.  The residents have grown roots.  The condos at Forest Creek are actually similar to attached villa homes with a single shared wall, much like the twin villas in many of our newer gated communities.  The twist is that they are actually zoned condominium, so outside maintenance and the management structure is that of a typical condominium.

Forest Creek Villas is a quaint community with only about 46 residences.  Residents enjoy use of their own community pool and shuffle board court.  The Forest Creek Villas community is a fun, intimate neighborhood.

Today, I met a neighbor to pick up a key and get information about the homeowner association and management contact information.  Everyone met today was just so nice, helpful and friendly.  It's been a while since I've been to a neighborhood where the owners really do know each other.  Many times neighborhoods are just so big that people don't know their neighbors, but not at Forest Creek Villas.  Photo albums were brought out by one neighbor, the original marketing materials (that floor plan up there) were lent to me by another neighbor and they escorted me to the book keeper's house for the new buyer's application and home owner's association budget.  I was dragged into their homes, even. They didn't know me from a hill of beans and had me come in and chat.

If you're thinking of purchasing a Bonita Springs condominium or villa in a relaxed, 55+ deed restricted community Forest Creek should be a candidate.  It's a great little piece of real estate in Old Bonita right on Leitner Creek.  Plus, it's only about 10-15 minute drive to Bonita Beach.

The newest villa offering in Forest Creek is a two bedroom, two bathroom home right on the creek.  It has a big lanai and grill patio.  It's also a sweet deal at $155,000.

Forest Creek Villas is located on the corner of Goodwin Street and Matheson Street by The Gardens Condominiums on East Terry Street.

Today I will be out with a lovely couple from Wisconsin looking for their Florida home. I try to stay upbeat and not hyper critical of what other agents consider "marketing" but it's a nightmare, plain and simple. It is literally a struggle for me to show your Bonita Springs home. Should it be? My buyers are searching for a home or attached villa in the $200-250,000 price point. I will be showing them eight homes that best meet their criteria of size, style, one level, two bedroom minimum & value.

Here's what the market has to offer:

• 144 active listings meet the price criteria (not value criteria)
• 90 active listings have a two car garage
• Just from this point your home has only a .09% chance of being shown to my buyers before your agent even screws everything up.

What else would sell the other 88 homes to me? Yes, me. Your house has to be sold three times, by the way. To the agents, to the buyers and to the appraiser. First, what would make me show any of the other 88 homes to my buyers?

Click here to continue reading, but only if you can handle the truth.

Saturday open houses with a bright blue sky are usually a bust, but today I actually had more than a few visitors.  I ran out of flyers, as a matter of fact.  Traffic was good in spite of the picture perfect weather I was staring at through the window.  Usually, when it's THAT nice outside people are hitting Bonita Beach or one of the many golf courses in Bonita Springs instead of going to open houses.  The sun is a curse for an open house in south Florida.

Something perplexing [offensive] happened at the open house today, though.   A man with friends in tow suggested that I give "the sales pitch". I don't know what usually happens to buyers that tour open houses, but the last thing I do is cannibalize buyers or give the strong sell & a hustle.  I was sort of surprised that this man even said that.  Continue Reading

I Promise To Try to Keep That Florida Recount Thingy From Happening Again

My little real estate blog, Life In Bonita Springs, has recently been nominated for top website by Posh'd.  What is Poshd?

From the poshd site - "Ever visit other Real Estate websites for inspiration? Ever notice how many of them are VERY similar? We support those of you trying to break the mold and make the real estate sites on the web a better experience for everyone. We're here to promote you and your fine work, but we also hope that up-and-coming site developers will be able to use Posh'd as a place for inspiration. We want to raise the bar for all Realtors and their sites." 

Posh'd allows readers and consumers to decide which site is tops by voting on their site.  Simply click to go to Posh'd and place a vote.  Voting goes through the end of February.  I appreciate your support.

While you're at posh'd take a look at Poshd Archives.  You will be amazed at the large number of recognizable names and faces from the blogsphere and most especially the many fellow Active Rain bloggers.

Past poshd bloggers, you're invited add a link to your blog in the comments section.

National Association of Realtors has released statistics in a study that show that about one in five American real estate agents sold a second home in the year 2007 to a foreign buyer. Interest is up primarily due to

• The weak dollar giving foreigners more buying leverage.
• American home prices are low compared to many other countries.
• Excessive inventory in select locations creates choice and negotiating leverage.

Buyers are coming from all over the world, but by country, a large proportion of buyers are coming from the United Kingdom (12%) and Canada (11%).  Why does this matter to Bonita Springs or Estero, Florida home owners and home sellers?

The study showed that:

• 47% of foreign buyers were looking for a warm place to vacation.
• 22% were looking for an investment.

Continue reading: Welcome to Bonita Springs, Canada

Looking for a great reason to blog?  Write that Valentine post like this, now:

Valentine Ideas in Bonita Springs & Estero . 

Here's how you do it:

1. Pick three local businesses to write about. A flower store, a gift store and a restaurant.
2. Add details, phone numbers, websites and driving directions to each.
3. Add a photo or create one at http://www.imagechef.com/ like my hand heart "over there".
4. Mail a printed .pdf of the story to the business owners so they know they're superstars on your blog.
5. Add a link to your Valentine Blog in the comments of this blog.
6. Add a tag to your post like "valentine 08" so we can read them by tags, too.
7. Oh, and you can do it on your "real" blog if you want, too.

There is no prize, just adoration of local readers, local business owners and admiration of other Active Rain members.  That's enough, right?