Sarasota Florida Flat Fee MLS Listings FSBO – Discount Realtor & Broker

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  Before retiring to bed last night, I read a few interesting statistics worthy of passing on to you.. Real estate sales will get better as Florida provides homeowners with sunshine, golf, tennis, boating, shopping, and young professionals plenty of opportunity to sink their teeth into financial markets. I believe this..In 2008 more than 300,000 people will relocate to the sunshine state. This should create a demand for 150,000 for sale and rental homes. Florida’s economy will likely create 175,000 new jobs, completely outperforming national averages. It is estimated that 80 million national, and international, visitors will enjoy our sunshine and take advantage of the amenities our great state has to offer. We will continue to bring in retirees and young entrepreneurs looking for warmth and an active lifestyle. As we look into the future of our real estate market, and overall health of the local economies, its important to marinate on the figures just stated. 80 million people will visit our state looking to have a good time and relax! That’s something the lending market and interest rate crunches can’t take away from us.. This is just a nice place to live and spend time. Tampa, Jacksonville, & Orlando lead the state in outlooks on job growth through 2010. With Sarasota & Bradenton resting just outside these metropolitan arenas, we will benefit in economic growth as well. Sarasota lays claim to the nicest beaches and will soon hold title to the regions premier high-dollar retail destination (Neiman Marcus & Nordstrom @ University Town Center). People are still coming to Florida and it will be the surrounding counties that could thrive the most.

Justin

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If there were a niche that sees the Florida real estate market as having more opportunity than ever, it would have to be international consumers. I day trade a bit on the international foreign currency market (FOREX) & the values being posted to international currencies are staggering. Currencies such as the British Pound & the EURO are valued at 1 & 1/2 – 2 times more valuable than our feeble dollar. The opportunity for global consumers (predominantly European markets) to enjoy a second home in Florida has never been better.

What are the international buyers purchasing? A recent poll of 1,844 homes sold to Non-US residents shows that 22% of the consumers purchased homes over $500,000. The average sales price of international home buyers purchasing in the state of Florida was $299,000, compared to an average of $192,000 spent by US residents on our properties. Due to the currency exchange rate, the international crowd is purchasing way more “bang for their buck” real estate here, in comparison to what they can purchase with that money in their homeland.

Where are the international buyers coming from? 58% of the international flavors buying Florida homes in the our market are Europeans (33% of those reside in the UK alone). The next 21% are purchasers from Latin America (Countries such as South America, Central America, & the Caribbean).
What type of dwelling are they buying? 61% of the purchasers are buying Single-Family homes; where as, 39% are purchasing condos. This is a surprising statistic as I would think they would lean more towards the maintenance-free condo, but when you have lots of buying power and choice, it seems single-family is the dwelling of choice.

How are they buying? 36% of these transactions were paid for in cash, leaving the other 64% financed! These ”mates” are qualified to pay for ”The Full Monty”!

Shirley International Realty Inc. is providing 5-star service to the European consumer. We are driving our internet based communications to their domains and running the most efficient advertising for our listings. We must adapt to the trend. International consumers are setting the new trend and becoming more of a player in our real estate community. So, next time you’re at the country club, or your choice of Sarasota hot spot, don’t hesitate to make a new European friend and “fancy a few jars” (London slang for Drink a few beers) with them. They have a very powerful voice in our community, and we welcome that. Diversity is something we pride ourselves on & any new cultural influences and alternative ways of thinking will keep our community healthy and strong.

Justin

Statistics given in this article are based on reports collected from the National Association of Realtors: Profile of International Buyers in Florida

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I pulled the February 2008 statistics for Sarasota County. This search bullets Sarasota properties that have “closed” only.. With local market conditions placing constraints on buyers financing capabilities, among other transactional hurdles, homes that go under contract aren’t guaranteed to close. So to keep my statistical analysis very consistent moving forward, I will only be reporting numbers reflecting a “closed” status on MLS..

-Single Family Homes- 42

-Condo- 110

-Multi-Family (i.e. Duplex, Quadplex, etc.)- 0

-Lots & Acreage- 5

What can we learn from these numbers? We see a nice spike in the condo market. I would attribute this to the second-home buyer vacationing in the Florida sun and escaping the cold northeastern winds. I think we’ll see this number continue to spike for the next 3 months, then come to a screeching halt around June. Plus, the condo market is the niche where most of the bargain prices reside. Single-Family homes sales are down from December, but close in the same ballpark as they were in January. 0 Multi-Family units sold in February! Wow! Sellers see the lack of activity on the investment properties they’ve owned for years, so look for positive cash flow opportunities here. Consumers won’t see many incentives here to buy other than cash flow opportunities. Typically, owners of multi-family properties have owned these properties for years and taken more of a long-term approach to ownership and won’t be giving these properties away.

Let’s look at listing inventory for the month of February and compare this to the sold inventory. I think we’ll see the reason for depreciation in prices in this statistic.

The numbers here reflect new listings that hit Sarasota’s MLS market throughout the entire month of February.

-Single Family Homes- 907

-Condo- 504

-Multi-Family Units-17

-Lots & Acreage-60

With 907 single family NEW listings hitting the market and only 42 closing, that’s representative of selling only about 4.6% of our monthly inventory. This closing percentage needs to reach levels of 35% or higher for us to make the slightest move in eliminating inventory and returning to equity gained through appreciation in our homes. The condo market seems to be a bit healthier showing a 22% closing percentage in monthly inventory. I’m confident there’s a 3-month window to try and sell your condo as baby boomers and second-home buyers love the maintenance-free lifestyle & opportunity to cash flow the ownership through lease agreements.

 Justin

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 I’ve been asked a number of times of the past few days to repeat exactly what comes with our 2008 Flat Fee Listing Package.. First, I’ll point out that a Flat Fee Listing is just a means for a seller to get exposure for their home on the Multiple Listing Service. MLS is important exposure for your home because there are 4,000 real estate agents in Sarasota County that are working with buyers & you need your home in front of these agents. Most brokers won’t allow their agents to list property through this type of service, but many Sarasota & Bradenton sellers have sold their homes through my offering. So, as long as there is a demand, I will continue to promote it. Here is a layout of what comes with your Flat Fee Listing through Shirley International Realty Inc.

* Full Listing on Both Sarasota & Manatee MLS – (Shirley International Realty Inc. will maximize the marketing space on MLS to promote your home and fill in all the blanks to provide buyers/agents with a due diligent explanation of all the details on your home.)

* Professional Photography – (Shirley International Realty Inc. will use the maximum amount of pictures allowed through MLS Rules and Regulation to make your home look as photogenic as possible on the MLS.

* Listing on Realtor.com -(Realtor.com is the most-searched real estate website on the web. Your home will be promoted on that website until it sells)

* Comparable Market Analysis- Shirley International Realty Inc. will use the latest technology and tools to assist you with the most competitive price for your home.

*Agent-On-Call (8am-8pm)- Have any questions about Sarasota/Bradenton Real Estate? That’s what we’re here for.. Your MLS Listing ties you into a relationship with us and we become your real estate resource for you!

* YOUR LISTING WILL STAY ACTIVE UNTIL THE PROPERTY SELLS- This is big.. Other Flat Fee Companies aren’t as flexible with this policy.. List with Shirley International Realty Inc. and your listing will stay active until the property sells (or until you wish to have it terminated)..

These are the “cut & dry” facets of Shirley International Realty Inc.’s Basic Flat Fee Listing program.. Other items such as signs, flyers, info. tubes, & lockboxes can be purchased on an a-la-carte basis. Click “Flat Fee Listing” for more information or call 941-448-4872 for more details.

Hope this clears things up..

Justin

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