Florida Ranks Close To Last... YAY

You know, its not always a great thing to Rank NUMBER 1 all the time.

Case in point: Apparently, Florida shows up close to last in rankings of U.S. states where the real estate listings mention an outhouse. Your quirky fact for the day!

Sure You Bought The House, But Do You Actually Live In The House (Full Time)

Pardon the bad reference to a line from the film, Joe Vs. The Volcano.

But more importantly: Did you buy a Florida home in 2016? Is it your primary residence? Were you a Florida resident before January 1 of this year?

Then RUN, don't walk, to the nearest Florida county appraiser's office and file your Homestead Exemption papers (assuming you want to). This helps keep your Florida property taxes low on that primary residence, AND caps property tax increases for the future. It's all part of Save Our Homes legislation that passed the Florida Legislature many years ago.

Questions? Message me offline or contact your county appraiser. The window to file is fast closing. In fact it closes at the end of business today! Or you get to wait until the January 1-February 28 window in 2018!

JRW Number One In 2016

Some notes from this week's John R. Wood Properties annual agents recognition program for 2016.

In the Southwest Florida market (Marco Island, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Captiva/Sanibel)

-- JRW is #1 in Units Sold

-- JRW is #1 in Sales Volume

-- JRS is #1 in Listings, and

-- JRS is #1 in Buyer Sales

In all, John R Wood Properties is such a great company to be affiliated with and I am happy this company recruited me to join.

The recognition event, in which my team members and I were recognized in the Emerald Circle of Excellence for 2016, based on 2016 productivity, took place at the Naples Grande Resort. The JRW family is a tight knit group, and best of all, our founder -- John R. Wood himself -- was on hand to give closing remarks and a fired up charge to the troops.

I don't think I've been so revved up, and ready to hit the street in a long time! 

Beware: If That Value Seems Too Good To Be True . . . Well, You Know

Last week, my neighbor Mark woke up to some very exciting news!

There it was in his email inbox - a message from a well known brand telling him his house was worth a whopping $1.4 million dollars! "This is amazing," he thought!  He walked over from his driveway while I was out in my yard to run it by me. "What do you think?" he asked. "If I can get that," he said," I want you to list it tomorrow!"

I asked if he had clicked through the notice for more information. He hadn't, as he is a very smart regional vice president for a prominent bank, and thought the email seemed "off." I asked, is the email from XXXX? He smiled, answering, yes.

I gave him a couple of predictions, he checked further on the solicitation....


I've received similar emails. Now this isn't a real estate company, but an information aggregator you've probably heard of or about which you've seen TV commercials. They get real estate agents to pay them to have their photos and contact information posted next to listings, sucked out of the MLS -- listings the "premier" agents have nothing to do with. The aggregators often get square footage wrong. They often use improper comparable values. They often think single family homes are condos, and vice versa.

Once more, they have NEVER stepped foot into a single neighborhood -- let alone a single residence -- in any Paradise Coast community. Its all done from a distance with computer algorithms. And they make millions of dollars with this disinformation.

Sadly, my neighbor's house is not even close to the $1.5 million dollar mark, though it is gorgeous.

I think these emails are designed to get readers to share a lot of personal information by filling out an online questionnaire - or to pick up the phone and call the smiling "premier" agent on the page where this photo appeared.

PLEASE -- If you are relying on information and data that you see online, you could be in for a rude awakening when you step out from behind your computer or tablet, and begin a serious investigation of your own market.  And while the price valuation information that this and other aggregators has on homes in my particular development is frequently way off, there are some sites that are even worse.

As a real estate professional, I can look at this type of solicitation and know that it is not what it seems.  I know all of the recent comparable sales in my neighborhood and have the expertise to know the actual value of my home -- and yours, with a little research.

When it comes time for you to make a move, you need this same professional expertise to help you establish the value of the property you are selling or acquiring.

Frankly, there is no substitute for "boots on the ground" expertise from people who KNOW neighborhoods, and entire development communities.

Okay, I'm climbing down off my soapbox now . . . .

How Do '55 And Up' Communities Work?

Occasionally, I get questions about 55 and up communities. First off, with anti-discrimination laws, how can a condo association dictate who can live there based on age? And are there any exemptions to the 55 and up rules?

The answer is yes. I have explained in person and in email to a handful of folks. Fortunately, Florida Realtors has addressed this question with a very well written piece.

I submit it for your consideration. Please read, then pass it on!

Happy Valentine's Day!

To those in love, who have loved and lost and loved again, and those still looking for the love of your life, I wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day!

I found My Love on a nearby beach a few years ago. Turns out we had known each other since we were 12. It just took us 40-plus years to figure it out! Thank you for the special M&Ms this morning Honey, and for being you!