December 12 2016
ROYAL SHELL REAL ESTATE WINS AWARD
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Lee Building Industry Association has named Royal Shell Real
Estate as the Residential Brokerage Firm of the Year for 2016. The nonprofit
organization’s Industry Achievement Pinnacle Award honors Royal Shell for its
management capabilities, customer relations, ethical behavior, community involvement
and excellence in the residential building industry.
Royal Shell Real Estate, the largest and No. 1 independent brokerage in Southwest
Florida, recorded more than $1.2 billion in listings and sales in the first 10 months of
2016. It also was involved in 60 percent of the top-five home sales in Lee County in
2015.
“Achieving a prestigious Pinnacle award is a testament to our agents and staff’s
diligence every day in exceeding clients’ expectations while raising the bar for
excellence,” said Michael Polly, Vice President of Real Estate Operations.
Another honor came this summer when Royal Shell Real Estate was named Best Real
Estate Agency in the residential category in Gulfshore Business Magazine’s 2016 Best of
Business Readers’ Poll.
The brokerage also opened its first Cape Coral office in November, which is the
company’s 15th in Southwest Florida. Royal Shell also has an office in Ocala and four in
western North Carolina, bringing the total number of offices to 20.
Royal Shell Real Estate handles properties of all types, including primary and secondary
residences, seasonal homes and investment properties, while its rental department
focuses on leveraging owners’ investments for maximum return.
Royal Shell Real Estate began primarily as a Sanibel and Captiva island-based company,
and over the years has opened multiple offices in Lee, Collier and Marion counties. The
business differs from other real estate companies in that they hand-select only the
area’s top Realtors® to join the team.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
5 Things Renters Should Know About Owning
For renters who aspire to be home owners, transitioning from an apartment to a house requires a shift in their thinking that they may not be prepared to make. The financial changes that come with owning, the need to consider planting longer-term roots in a neighborhood, and new neighborhood rules are things renters may not be thinking about enough.
Read more: Where Buying Beats Out Renting the Most
As their real estate agent, it’s important for you to be there for your clients when they’re embarking on a life-changing event such as buying a home.
Moving can already be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life, but it may be doubly so for a new home owner. In order to be their most reliable resource, using your knowledge and experience to provide them with guidance, share these helpful nuggets of information with your clients so their transition from renter to owner can be as smooth as possible.
They need to understand how their financial investment is changing. Renters may see an increase in their monthly rent every lease term, but they don’t see exactly where it goes — toward property taxes and insurance, even “luxuries” such as trash pickup. As home owners, they don’t have a landlord who handles all those details, so they need to be ready to juggle the financial responsibilities of home ownership. Have an open conversation with your clients about these changes and the importance of budgeting to make sure they make smart financial decisions during this process.
They need to be happy with their location for the long-term. As a renter, you can bounce around from home to home every year if you want. But when you own a home, you have to stay put — unless you plan on renting it out, which most home owners don’t. Impress upon your client that location is going to play a much more significant role in their future, so they should think about evaluating school districts, access to amenities, and commute time now as they search for their next home.
They may need to abide by new rules. Renters don’t think about possible homeowner association rules they may be governed by, such as trash pickup rules or any curfews or rules pertaining to animals. Make sure to get all the information on neighborhood rules and associations to help your client understand what their new obligations will be.
They’ll need to get into the mindset of an owner. Life as your client knows it is about to change. Once your client purchases a new home, they will no longer have a landlord to tend to their many needs, including lawn care and plumbing. The best way you can help them as their real estate agent is to provide them with contact information for local industry experts. They will eventually need certified specialists ranging from HVAC companies to carpenters to electricians. Let them know they don’t have to do everything themselves.
They should know their neighbors can affect their value. Renters don’t care who their neighbors are as long as they’re quiet (enough). But your client is now going to want to know whether their new neighbors are renters or home owners. This knowledge can help your clients gauge current and future home value in the neighborhood. If the neighborhood consists mostly of rental properties, it is likely a home owner will lose money on their house in the future. Renters do not always feel responsible for maintaining their properties the way home owners do. Property value comes down to curb appeal. Less-appealing neighborhoods often have more-appealing prices, which is not always good for buyers and home owners.
Source: Rob Rimeris is owner of EverSafe Moving Co. in Philadelphia. EverSafe is a five-star, full-service company that offers affordable moving and storage services.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Quicken quietly offers 1% downpayment loans
Quicken quietly offers 1% downpayment loans
NEW YORK – June 29, 2016 – Quicken Loans has been fairly hush about its latest offering of a super low downpayment mortgage, even as rival bank giants like Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase all tout their new 3 percent down mortgage products. But late last year, Quicken Loans quietly began offering 1 percent downpayment mortgages.
The program emerged from a partnership between Quicken and Freddie Mac in October 2015 and was structured as part of Freddie Mac's Home Possible Advantage program, which requires a 3 percent downpayment.
However, Quicken Loans offers its customers a 1 percent down because it grants the extra money to the borrower, Bill Banfield, Quicken Loans' vice president of capital markets, told HousingWire in an interview.
"We require 1 percent from a consumer and we give the consumer a 2 percent grant, so the client has 3 percent equity immediately," Banfield told HousingWire.
The 1 percent downpayment loans are available only for those purchasing a home, and they can only be used on a single-family home or condo – second home and investment properties or co-ops aren't included. They must have a FICO score of 680 or above and earn less than the median income for their county. Their debt-to-income ratio must be 45 percent or less.
"We want to try to help people and do it in a smart way," Banfield told HousingWire. "For us, it was really a question of, if you want to provide access to credit, how do you do it responsibly? How can you help people? If first-time buyers are struggling, are there smart ways to help them while still balancing access to credit? … We wanted to have a conventional option to get people into more homes."
Source: "Quicken Loans Now Offering 1% Down Mortgages," HousingWire (June 24, 2016)
© Copyright 2016 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688
Friday, May 27, 2016
NAR: Pending homes sales at a 10-year high
NAR: Pending home sales at a 10-year high
WASHINGTON – May 26, 2016 – Pending home sales rose for the third consecutive month in April and reached their highest level in over a decade, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).
All major regions saw gains in contract activity last month except for the Midwest, which saw a meager decline.
The Pending Home Sales Index – a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings for homes that have not yet sold – hiked 5.1 percent higher to 116.3 in April from an upwardly revised 110.7 in March. Year-to-year, it's 4.6 percent above April 2015 (111.2).
After last month's gain, the index has now increased year-over-year for 20 consecutive months. Vast gains in the South and West propelled April's pending sales in April to its highest level since February 2006 (117.4), says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.
"The ability to sign a contract on a home is slightly exceeding expectations this spring, even with the affordability stresses and inventory squeezes affecting buyers in a number of markets," Yun says. "The building momentum from the over 14 million jobs created since 2010 and the prospect of facing higher rents and mortgage rates down the road appear to be bringing more interested buyers into the market."
Mortgage rates have remained below 4 percent in 16 of the past 17 months, but Yun says it remains to be seen how long they will stay this low. Along with rent growth, rising gas prices – and the fading effects of last year's cheap oil on consumer prices – could edge up inflation and push rates higher. For now, Yun foresees mortgage rates continuing to hover around 4 percent in coming months, but inflation could potentially surprise the market and cause rates to increase suddenly.
"Even if rates rise soon, sales have legs for further expansion this summer if housing supply increases enough to give buyers an adequate number of affordable choices during their search," adds. Yun.
Following the housing market's best first quarter of existing-sales since 2007 (5.66 million) and a decent increase (1.7 percent) in April, Yun expects sales this year to climb above earlier estimates and be around 5.41 million – a 3.0 percent boost from 2015. After accelerating to 6.8 percent a year ago, national median existing-home price growth is forecast to slightly moderate to between 4 and 5 percent.
Pending sales in the Northeast climbed 1.2 percent to 98.2 in April, and are now 10.1 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest, the index declined slightly (0.6 percent) to 112.9 in April, but it's still 2.0 percent above April 2015.
Pending home sales in the South jumped 6.8 percent to an index of 133.9 in April – 5.1 percent higher than last April. The index in the West soared 11.4 percent in April to 106.2, and it's now 2.8 percent above a year ago.
© 2016 Florida Realtors® Friday, April 22, 2016
Fla.’s housing market: New listings, median prices rise in March
ORLANDO, Fla. – April 20, 2016 – Florida's housing market reported higher median prices, more new listings and fewer all-cash closed sales in March, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Statewide closed sales eased last month amid tighter inventory: Single-family home sales totaled 23,758, remaining relatively the same (down 0.6 percent) from March 2015.
"Many Florida homeowners have been able to rebuild home equity due to strong price growth, but that can also pose a challenge for first-time buyers and move-up buyers," says 2016 Florida Realtors President Matey H. Veissi, broker and co-owner of Veissi & Associates in Miami."However, new listings rose in March, which is good news for potential buyers. New listings for existing single-family homes rose 5.6 percent compared to a year ago while new listings for townhouse-condo properties are up 2.6 percent."
Meanwhile, sellers received more of their original asking price at the closing table. Sellers of existing single-family homes in March received 95.8 percent (median percentage) of their original listing price, while those selling townhouse-condo properties received 94.5 percent (median percentage).
The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes last month was $209,500, up 10.3 percent from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Industry Data and Analysis department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. The statewide median price for townhouse-condo properties in March was $155,000, up 3.3 percent over the year-ago figure.
March marked 52 months in a row that statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and for townhouse-condo properties rose year-over-year. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the national median sales price for existing single-family homes in February 2016 was $212,300, up 4.3 percent from the previous year the national median existing condo price was $198,900.In California, the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in February was $446,460; in Massachusetts, it was $309,000; in Maryland, it was $235,206; and in New York, it was $235,000.
Looking at Florida's townhouse-condo market, statewide closed sales totaled 10,076 last month, down 7.1 percent compared to March 2015. However, the closed sales data reflected fewer short sales and cash-only sales in March: Short sales for townhouse-condo properties declined 39.3 percent while short sales for single-family homes dropped 33.2 percent. Closed sales may occur from 30 to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.
"Overall, statewide inventory levels essentially held steady in March; however, beneath the surface, we can see that active listings in the most affordable price tiers are continuing to decline," says Florida Realtors Chief Economist Brad O'Connor. "These declines are being offset by the growth in the upper price tiers, particularly in the luxury market. The active inventory of homes listed for over $1 million, for instance, was up 18.3 percent year-over-year among single family homes and 38.6 percent among condos and townhouses."
Inventory was at a 4.5-months' supply in March for single-family homes and at a 6.3-months' supply for townhouse-condo properties, according to Florida Realtors.
According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.69 percent in March 2016, down from the 3.77 percent average recorded during the same month a year earlier.
To see the full statewide housing activity reports, go to at Florida Realtors Media Center and look under Latest Releases, or download the March data report PDFs under Market Data. Realtors also have access to local market stats (password protected) on Florida Realtors' website.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Florida tops list of most-desirable states
Florida tops list of most-desirable states
When asked where they would most like to live (excluding their current state), Florida landed at the top of the list. Overall, sunshine and waterfront acreage were consistent themes among the most popular states, with California (2) and Hawaii (3) rounding out the top three. However, non-beach states Colorado (4) and New York (5) closed out the top five states.
This year's top five were, for the most part, also top-five honorees the last time this question was asked in 2013, Harris reports. The sole exception is New York, which edged into the top-five after a sixth place showing. Texas, meanwhile, dropped out of the top five to No. 6.
The remaining 9 states on the "top 15" list include diverse geographies, though most do fall within a few general categories:
The coasts are well represented: Along with Florida, the Carolinas – North (7) and South (12) – and Georgia cover most of the southeastern United States beachfront. Meanwhile, Oregon (9) and Washington (14) make for full west coast coverage (when combined with California). Perhaps for some it's not the coast but the warmth, which takes precedence, as landlocked-but-sunny states Arizona (8) and Tennessee (10) also make the list.
Many states have both admirers and detractors, according to Harris.
California may be 2nd on the list of states Americans would like to live in, but it also tops the list of states where Americans would least like to dwell. New York and Alaska may both be top 15 performers when Americans say where they would like to live, but they also round out the top three states where Americans would not want to live (2 and 3, respectively). Mississippi (4) and Texas (5) complete the top 5 for the dubious list, with Alabama (6), Florida (7), Illinois (8), Michigan (9) and the District of Columbia (10) completing the top 10.
Favorite and least favorite cities
Americans continue their love/hate relationship with New York City, which has topped The Harris Poll's list of cities where Americans most want to live for well over a decade – but it also tops the list of cities they'd least like to live.
California and Florida are well represented among the top 10 most desired cities, with San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco nabbing the 2nd, 4th and 6th spots for the Golden State, while Miami and Orlando bring the 5th and 10th spots home to the Sunshine State.
Denver, CO (3) fills in the lone gap in the top five, while Honolulu, HI (7); Atlanta, GA (8) and Seattle, WA (9) fill out the rest of the top 10.
The top three cities Americans would least want to live in have remained the same since this question was first asked in 2010 with New York, followed by Detroit (2) and Los Angeles (3). Chicago repeats in 4th place, while Dallas, Texas (5) rounds out the top five. Miami (6); San Francisco (7); Houston (8); Washington, D.C. (9) and Las Vegas (10) complete this less desirable top 10 list.
The Harris Poll surveyed 2,232 U.S. adults online between Nov. 11 and 16, 2015.
© 2015 Florida Realtors®
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