Real Estate Information

We've heard so many times, "we don't want to have problems, we'll buy a new house instead..."  Unfortunately  that is not the way it works.  New homes, as a rule, have many more problems than resales.  Part of the problem is that builder's often hire the cheapest subcontractors.  The builder also does not usually have the manpower to adequately supervise the subcontractors.  In our experience, there are always mulitple problems when buying a new home.  Many times it is upgrades that were not done correctly, or even skipped completely.  It can be a long process to go in and have the situation remedied....sometimes it is never fixed to your satisfaction.    We've had some really bad experiences with builders and heard so many horror stories from customers.  We like to make sure that you are completely prepared before entering into a contract for a new home.

Builder's have gotten used to the runaway real estate market.  Many builder's during that period developed a practice of treating real estate agents and customers poorly.  With the market slower, some builder's have seen the "error of their ways" while with others it's "a hard habit to break."

If you decide to buy a new home, we want to make sure you go in with your eyes wide open.  Having a brand new home has so many advantages!  It's a great feeling to move into a home that you had built and picked out all of the options for.  It's your colors, your options...everything....  If this is what you want, that is a great option.  Before you do this, hire a good real estate agent to represent you in the transaction.  Your builder will pay their fee and the home will not cost you any more.  That way, when they install the wrong color of stone on your home, or put the wrong tile in...you have an advocate to help remedy the situation.  Most active agents who are experienced in new home sales know who the good builders are .  They also know the good builders who are not.

Unless you are in certain low price ranges daily showings are a thing of the past.  The good news is that it only takes one “right” buyer to get your home sold!  Because showings are much harder to come by these days, it is more important than ever that you maximize every showing!  Keep the home spotless.  Be ready for a showing at any moment.  Whatever you do—do NOT turn a showing away even if it’s last minute or even last second.  Chances are the buyer will never come back and you might have lost the person who wanted to put an offer in on your house today!  When someone is coming, open all of the blinds and turn on all of the lights.  Obtain staging help.  You only get one shot at making a first impression.  Make it count!

The market seems to be picking up slightly.  For the week ended January 26^th we saw a slight increase in the pending to active ratio.  A healthy ratio for sellers is 50% or better.  For buyers, the lower the number, the better.  Last March the number exceeded 50% for the Jacksonville Area.   This number decreased steadily week by week.  On the week ended January 12^th of this year, the number hit a low of 15%.  This indicates a perfect time for buyers to buy!  The past two weeks have shown slight increases in this number indicating the start of a spring upswing in the market!  The number was up past 18%--welcome news for those looking to sell their home!  If you are thinking about selling your home, now is the perfect time to call us and get started!

So you have decided that the time is right to buy your first home. This will probably be the single largest purchase in your lifetime and you want to do it right. You’re excited, and a little nervous, but what do you do first?

There are certain questions that you have to ask, are you ready? Do you know what you want? Do you have a realtor? Do you need about loan pre-approval? What type of mortgage do you need and how do you get one? So on and so forth.

With all of these questions running through your head we are here to help. All you have to do is make a few clicks on your computer and email us team@limteam.com or just give us a call at 904-371-9654

Buying your first house can be a scary proposition, there are so many unknowns, so many potential pitfalls, but the more you know about the process the easier it becomes. It’s a wonderful time in your life, enjoy it and have fun! Best of luck.

Trying to find a real estate agent to fit you and your needs can be a job in its self. So how do you decide who is right for you? Many real estate agents have websites with pictures and information about their selfs and there company. So this is where you have to make a decision on who you want to be there for you to help you sell your home for the best value or find the home of your dreams. when deciding you need to ask your self questions such as, do they seem/sound like kind honest people I can get along with? and do they have the knowledge to answer any of my question that may come up?  If you feel like you have a match, set up a meeting and have you agent get to work for you selling you home or finding  your dream home!

So when you get to the point of looking for the real estate agent with knowledge, kindness and that is trust worthy. Give us a call or send us an email to see if we can fit your needs.

Whether you are a buyer, seller or just browsing, welcome to our blog!

We are an awesome, dynamic real estate team in the Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine area.

We plan on using our blog to keep you posted about what is going on in the local real estate market.  Please contact us as soon as you are ready to get started...or with any questions you may have in the meantime!

Have an awesome day!

The Lim Team