Clearwater Real Estate

What Does A Great Realtor Look Like

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You want to sell your home. You want to hire a great Realtor. Kind of a no brainer. How would you recognize a great Realtor? What does a great Realtor look like?

Something like this…

A great Realtor is personable, easy to talk to and a good listener. They make you feel comfortable. How can you convey anything to someone you can’t even feel comfortable with or talk to.

They communicate in a way that works for you, whether that is on the phone, via text message, email or social media and they return your messages promptly.

They also have great relationships with other Realtors. This will get your home more traffic and get it sold more quickly.

Licensed

A great Realtor is always licensed, and that license is in good standing. Do your homework and make sure they are licensed and that there are no serious complaints against them.

One good way to find out is to use Google or Bing and search their name in quotation marks. But also check with the Better Business Bureau and state/county courts.

In Florida you can search their license status via the DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation).

A great Realtor is knowledgeable

If they don’t know the process like the back of their hand, find one who does. If they aren’t specialized in the type of property you are looking for, find one who is. If they aren’t up to date with the market where you are looking, find someone who is.

A great Realtor is always truthful

You should expect them to tell you what is true, not what you want to hear. That means if your home needs work before listing, or you think it’s worth more than it is, they will tell you.

Technology

A great Realtor keeps up with the technology of the times. Not just in how they stay in contact, but in how they market the homes they contract to sell. They use social media with savvy to market your home. They don’t shrink from new technology when finding ways to get the best photos of your home, like using drone videos.

Three Things You MUST Do Before You List Your Home For Sale

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home entails a LOT of things to do. Some are musts, some are not. Here are three things that you MUST do before you list your home for sale.

First, your home must be show ready for that first day on the market

What does “show ready” mean? Let’s start with it means it’s CLEAN, and we mean clean enough to eat off the bathroom floor! Move furniture and appliances. Clean them inside and out. Deep clean floors, carpets, walls, air duct covers, air intake covers, woodwork, windows… basically every inch of your home should be clean. To get it clean that also means removing CLUTTER. Remove most of your things from the home, including oversized furniture. Big furniture and clutter make rooms look smaller. A few things are ok, minimal is better. Your home will look and smell better. Now that all the scrubbing is done, time to touch up paint, or repaint. You want the place to look neutral (color is ok, but don’t go overboard), light and roomy. It also needs to look as move in ready as possible.

Second, make sure to find out the fair market price for your home

Overpricing your home is a REALLY bad idea. Underpricing it as well. Getting to the fair market value takes some wrangling and is best left to an expert, like your Realtor. Rely on them to know the market’s well enough to get the right price the first time.

Third, have an exit plan

Know where you are going and have a backup for that first plan. So where are you going when you sell your home? Don’t know? Well you better or you’ll end up homeless! If you are buying, have your Realtor help you with timing, but also have a backup in case one of the home sales falls through. For instance, don’t sell your home, counting on the purchase of the next one to be worry free. The seller could flake out, not like your demands or reject your offer. What then?

Make sure these MUSTS are done, and you’ll have a few less worries.

Moving To Clearwater? Three Insider Secrets To Know

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

You’ve been considering it for awhile. Moving to Clearwater, Florida sounds like heaven, but after watching the news about Hurricane Matthew and his path of destruction, you are reconsidering the move. Don’t. Clearwater is a great place to live, and here are some insider secrets to help you make up your mind.

What about hurricanes?

First of all Hurricane Matthew or any of the other “biggies” that hit the East Coast did just that, hit the EAST coast. Clearwater is on the WEST coast of Florida and unless those hurricanes come up the Gulf, they will, at worst, bring rain.

Clearwater doesn’t actually get hit with that many hurricanes. Even the ones that come up the Gulf tend to be out further over the gulf by the time they get even with Clearwater. So give that sigh and calm back down. Your home and property is not as likely to be damaged in a hurricane as if you lived along the East Coast.

However, Florida requires new construction to be built to standards that include measures to make them more likely to withstand a hurricane.

Refreshing afternoon showers

Yes, summers are hot and humid, but the humidity is “released” by quickly passing afternoon storms. It’s really not that much hotter or more humid than other places on the East Coast. Have you been in New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC and further south in the summer? Humidity and high temps are not an aberration. Can you say in the 90’s with 70+% humidity? If you can take that you’ll be fine!

If you’re used to less humidity and heat in the summer, remember that just about everything is air conditioned! Also, all the other months of the year are very temperate. If you think wearing a sweat jacket in January is great, you’ll love it here!

“Snowbirds”

All those “snowbirds” you hear about? You know, the retirees who live in the northeast in the spring, summer and fall, but come south for the folder months? Yes they exist and yes, they make the traffic in the winter months a bit worse, but only from about mid November until March, then life is back to normal. If you’re moving from a high traffic area you won’t even notice it until it’s not there!

3 Amazing Reasons You Should Move To Clearwater FL

November 17, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Tired of where you live? Is it too expensive? Is it too cold most of the year? Need a change? How about moving to somewhere better… somewhere like Clearwater, Florida.

Get more house for less $$

If you’ve ever lived in “hot” areas of the country you know that the cost of living can be sky high. Areas like Denver, Colorado have higher housing costs. Areas like the Baltimore/Washington DC area have high housing costs and high taxes, both real estate and income. Same with New York, Philadelphia and most of California!

Why not choose somewhere hot, yet affordable? Housing costs are at a premium. Why not cash in and find a less expensive place to live? Why not find someplace where you get more house for less money?

About those taxes…

Did you know that Florida has no state income tax? Think about what that means for your paycheck, your interest, your retirement income. One return to file. More money in your pocket. Other taxes are lower too. Home prices are more affordable. Clearwater in particular has great communities with great schools, amenities and a lower cost of living. The few things that are more expensive, like homeowners insurance, are more than outweighed by the savings in taxes and lower housing costs.

Beautiful beaches

Of course there ‘s the best reason for moving away from where you are to the Clearwater area… the BEACHES! The Clearwater area has miles and miles of beautiful beaches, white sands and crystal clear turquoise waters. These beaches are warm and sunny all year long. No snow. No shoveling out your car to get to work. No shivering in subzero temperatures. Warm. Sunshine. The best of Florida living.

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

November 11, 2021 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 The Deb Ward Team for great advice 727-410-0336. No one knows the local market better.

How To Price Your Home Right From The Start | Clearwater Realtor Tips

November 11, 2021 By Deborah Ward

Selling your home is stressful, especially if you don’t like the number your Realtor suggests to you as a selling price. You think your home is worth more or just that the price should be higher for “wiggle room” down the line. Bad idea. You should price your home right from the start.

Don’t start high and expect to drop the price later

The first bad idea is starting off with the thought process that you can always drop the price later. Sure, you can do that, but don’t expect the buyers to come running. There is real research on this and guess what? Homes that drop prices later sit on the market longer and sell for less. In fact, the more you drop the price, the lower your selling price will be. That’s because home buyers have a mindset about homes that are reduced. That mindset is “something must be really wrong with that house to have to drop the price.” There might or might not be, but there is no overcoming that mindset.

Setting the price higher for “wiggle room”

A higher price for wiggle room to negotiate is also a bad idea. Why? Because it means the people who would be able to buy your home at the negotiated down price won’t see it. Home buyers look for homes by price range. If you price your home out of the range of your target buyer they won’t even see it. Those who will see it are looking for homes with more amenities for their dollar, and more than your home has. They won’t make an offer that you can negotiate down. What will happen is your home will sit… for months. Then it’s a stale listing and buyers will again wonder what is wrong with your home.

What about the appraisal?

Let’s say you do get a contract at an inflated price. Their mortgage company or bank will require an appraisal. That appraisal better come back at your inflated price or that contract will go away. What are the chances of that appraisal happening?

Price your home fairly

What you want is to price your home fairly, or even just below market value. Yes, it goes against your gut feeling about your home’s value, but what it will get you is a sold home.

If you would like to get some real data about how to price your home for sale from a Clearwater Realtor, give us a call today! The Deb Ward Team 727-410-0336