Clearwater Real Estate

Proper Pool Safety Tips When You Are Selling Your Home

May 3, 2016 By Deborah Ward

You’re selling your home, and you have a pool. That means people will be in and around your home when you aren’t there. A pool is an inherent liability when you’re there, so you’ll need to make sure you have things in place to keep everyone safe. It may just mean you sell faster too, since a buyer won’t have to make a pool safe.

First thing you’ll need to make sure you have installed is a physical barrier. This barrier should be one that prevents a child from getting over, under or through it to gain access to the pool. These are typically a fence or wall with a security gate. The fence or other barrier should be at least four feet high or taller. It should have no footholds or handholds that could help a young child to climb it.

A few guidelines: spaces between shouldn’t be any more than 4 inches apart or 4 inches from the ground. Gates should be self closing and self latching and the latch should be high enough that small children can’t reach it. The type of gate and fencing may depend on your homeowners association, so check with them first.

Next, think about an alarm for the pool area. The alarm will emit an audible sound when triggered. They can include a gate alarm with a magnetic switches that activate when the gate is opened; a door or window alarm if one wall of the fencing is a house wall; or a floating alarm that goes off if the water in the pool is displaced. Any alarm should sound for 30 seconds or more, and within 7 seconds after it is activated and sound different than things like your doorbell or smoke alarm.

Another item to consider is a safety cover. A safety cover is either manual or motorized and covers the pool. It keeps people out of the water and most have a lock to keep kids from opening or closing it. It should be strong enough to support the weight of two adults and one child. It should also be easily opened in an emergency.

These steps will keep your pool under lockdown when you aren’t there, and make it a safe prospect for a buyer who might be worried.

A History of Clearwater Florida

January 26, 2016 By Deborah Ward

Clearwater, Florida like many of its surrounding towns, has a storied history. Present day Clearwater sits on the west coast of A History of Clearwater Florida Florida along the Gulf of Mexico.

Hundreds of years ago Clearwater was the home of the Tocobaga Indians. When Spanish explorers discovered the area the Tocobaga were a well established in the area.

Fort Harrison constructed

Around 1835 Fort Harrison, which was named after William Henry Harrison, was constructed to be used as an outpost during the Seminole Wars. The fort was located in a spot that was overlooking Clearwater Harbor, where today Harbor Oaks is located. Archaeologists from the University of South Florida uncovered an underground ammunition bunker on the spot.

Occupation Act

The Federal Occupation Act of 1842 caused a population growth. The Act offered 160 acres to anyone who would farm the land and also bear arms. Early settlers included the Stevens, Stevenson and McMullen families. Each claimed and farmed large tracts of land.

Clear Water Harbor

Initially the area was known as Clear Water Harbor, the “Clear Water” is believed to have come from a fresh water spring found near the location of the current City Hall building.
During the Civil War, most of the residents fought for the Confederacy. Union gunboats repeatedly raided the community’s supplies since it was largely unprotected.

Development really took off after Peter Demens completed the first passenger railroad line to Clearwater. It became a popular vacation destination and it’s reputation grew after railroad magnate Henry Plant built the Belleview Biltmore in 1897.

During World War II, Clearwater was a major training base for US troops destined for Europe and the Pacific. All of the hotels in the area, including the Belleview Biltmore and the Fort Harrison Hotel, were used as barracks for new recruits. Sand Key, then known as Dan’s Island, was used by the Army Air Corps for strafing and bombing practice.

Today, Clearwater is still a beacon for vacationers, but also a great place to live and soak up the history.

Buying in a Hot Real Estate Market- 5 Ways to Make Sure Your Offer is Accepted

September 30, 2015 By Deborah Ward

Buying a home in any market can be stressful, but in a hot seller’s market the stress level can be even worse. Worrying about whether your offer will be accepted, whether you are handling it correctly can make anyone nuts. Did you know that there are things that you can do to make sure your offer is accepted?

Lowball bids

Whether there are a few buyers vying for the same property or just you and it’s the dream home you’ve wanted forever, losing it due to a subpar offer can be averted. One of the bigger reasons sellers reject offers is lowball bids. Even in a buyer’s’ market when sellers can’t be quite as choosy, lowballing them is, well, insulting. In a sellers’ market they don’t have to even consider lowball offers.

Even if their home is overpriced, you still don’t want to insult them with a really low offer. If there are other offers on the table that is NOT the time to go low either. To be taken seriously, offer as close to list as possible, or over if you can.

Contingencies and Demands

Another biggie is contingencies and demands on the seller. It’s not out of line to ask for typical ones, like a home and pest inspection. Another typical one is the purchase being contingent on the sale of your existing home. This can be a sticky one for sellers. It’s not their problem that you have to sell your home and why should they wait? Demands for fixing superfluous things is also a no no if you want your offer accepted. Major repairs can be negotiated, but demanding they touch up paint or other minor fixes is a deal breaker.

Things to do to make your offer better

Three other things you can do to make your offer shine are to:

be prequalified for your mortgage
put a higher down payment on the home
make a cash offer

Any of these key items will make your offer look exceptional! The key to making a winning offer is to be the most advantageous to the seller. That could mean being the highest priced, the most prepared or the one most willing to meet their requirements.

Not sure what to do to make sure your offer is accepted? Rely on your AMAZING Clearwater Realtor to help figure it out! Call Deborah Ward Today! 727-216-9247

Awesome Tips To Price Your Clearwater Home Right In The Sweet Spot

July 14, 2015 By Deborah Ward

It’s time to sell your Clearwater home. Do you know how to price it to get right into the sweet spot? That sweet spot where the home sells quickly and for the price you ask? There is a way to find that spot and here are some tips to get you there.

First, find out what comparable sales have taken place

Keep in mind that the asking price of a home is a lot different from the sales price of the home. For comparables you need to look at sales price, not list price. Look at sales prices for homes sold within the last three months.

Specifics to take into consideration

Next thing to keep in mind is that just because a home is in your neighborhood doesn’t mean yours is worth the same. There are a lot of different specifics to take into consideration. Things like lot size, number of bedrooms, number of baths, square footage of living space, whether it has a garage or not, and so on. Other things that make a difference are home upgrades. Just remember that improvements depreciate over time. If you made a home upgrade to a bathroom 10 years ago, it won’t add as much as an update you made a month ago. Also keep in mind that super trendy updates can actually hurt your value. Why? Because they appeal to a smaller audience.

Price is always market dependent

In a seller’s market, which is a market where there is a lot of people wanting to buy but not as many homes on the market, you can get away with a higher price. But don’t let that make you greedy. Sometimes pricing just below market can work for you. It could generate enough interest that a bidding war happens and you get more than you expected. Of course that isn’t guaranteed, but it’s happening more these days in some places. In a buyer’s market, which is when there are more homes listed than there are buyers looking, you might need to price your home a bit lower than market value to attract a buyer.

Still not sure what to do? Call a the Deborah Ward and Associates for great advice 727-216-9247. No one knows the local market better.

Are We Looking At Another Real Estate Bubble?

June 23, 2015 By Deborah Ward

You’ve probably heard it on the mainstream news. Stories about how improving real estate markets are a sign that we are in another real estate bubble. Don’t believe it. Improving markets don’t mean a bubble.

Inventory

The stories often talk about homes being sold after a ton of traffic and bidding wars. It has to mean a bubble, right? Wrong. In most cases higher traffic and multiple offers are because of inventory levels.

Inventory in many markets are still at low levels. A healthy real estate market should have about a six month supply of homes. That’s not the case. The national average is 4.7 months supply of homes.

New home construction

Another sign that there is no new bubble is very low new home construction levels. New home construction is about 65% below the peak levels before the bubble burst. Until there is more construction, and more supply of existing homes, there is a problem with scarcity.

Now add in historically low interest rates and you have a lot of competition for existing listings.

Mortgage underwriting standards

Last sign we aren’t in a bubble is mortgage underwriting standards are still quite high. In order to qualify for most mortgages, applicants need to have a FICO credit score of above 740, and have a decent amount in savings for not only a down payment, but also for living expenses for several months.

At the height of the bubble, getting a mortgage was exceedingly easy. So much so that those who really couldn’t afford to buy a home did, causing the burst.

All markets are different

There are markets where homes are overvalued, and others where they aren’t. Every market is different. When all markets start to see the loan-to-value ratio of real estate creeping back to pre-bubble burst levels, then panic. Until then, relax.

If you would like to find out more about the Clearwater Real Estate Market, give Deb a call today! 727-216-9247

Clearwater Referral Real Estate Agent – Deb Ward, the Irish Realtor

April 7, 2015 By Deborah Ward

Any good Realtor will tell you that a lot of their business comes not from people who drop in the office or call on a whim, but through referrals. Referrals come from a lot of sources, past clients, current clients, and also from other Realtors and agents. In fact, referrals should be the biggest part of your new listings. If you’re looking in Clearwater for a good example of how to get those referrals, Deb Ward the Irish Realtor, is a great example.

So how do you go about getting other Realtors and agents to refer you to others for listings? Be the best! Deb is a great example of how to be the best and get those Realtor and agent referrals.

Deb has a thriving business in sunny Clearwater, Florida

She is the lead listing Realtor at Deb Ward & Associates, a Keller Williams Realty affiliate. That’s one way to start getting Realtor or agent referrals, be affiliated with a nationally recognized firm. It gives you an automatic referral source from affiliated agents from other areas who may have clients moving to Clearwater.

Deb is also a great example because she specializes in the great water front homes and communities in the Clearwater area. Being specialized and knowing your area well will give other agents or Realtors the confidence they need to refer people to you. Deb’s years of experience helping people to buy and sell is well known. She is well known for helping buyers find their dream waterfront home or sellers help in selling for the best price quickly.

Deb is also a relocation specialist

When it comes to helping out of town buyers or sellers, no one is better than Deb. There are a lot of ins and outs to helping out of town buyers and sellers, from what specialized documents could be necessary to helping them move. Again, being a specialized Realtor will help you get the referrals you need.

Find out more Deborah Ward & Associates 727-216-9247!