Debbie Ward-Terry

Buying a house is one of the most exciting things you will ever do.  It is also one of the most intense and stressful times of your life.  So, before you get started, it’s a good idea to have a clear picture of the type of home you want.  That is not always as simple as it sounds.  Make a list of the qualities you want in a home, include everything you think is important.  You may not be able to afford everything that you want, but this will help you be able to prioritize what is most important.

Here are some of the items you should include on your list:

• Location
• Neighborhood
• School Districts
• Home Style (open floor plan, split bedrooms, etc.)
• Size of Home (square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, etc.)
• Home Features (pool, fireplace, media room, bonus room, etc.)
• Lot Size
• Price Range

As you start looking at home, your list can change.  You will find things that you never thought of, things you thought were important but may not be any more, things you thought you could afford but can’t, and things you didn’t think you could afford, but you can.  So don’t be afraid to make changes.

Tell me about your dream home.  Where would it be?  What amenities would it have?  Can I help you find it?  I love making dreams come true!

I have heard this question from many of my clients, especially in today’s market.  There could be several reasons, but the number one reason is most sellers are unrealistic with what their home is really worth.  As Realtors, we have seen the prices dropping over the past several years, so we have gotten use to the current home values, but for some sellers that is a hard pill to swallow.  Overpriced listings are not, under any circumstances, going to sell in today’s market.  There is simply too much to choose from.    Other reasons you home may not be selling, assuming your home is priced appropriately, are:

• Location
• How well your home shows
• You may have a lousy agent
• You have insufficient marketing

Click HERE to read a detailed article on 5 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling.  The right agent makes all the difference in the world.

1. Make your opinion known

People like blogs, they like blogs because they are written by people and not corporations. People want to know what people think, crazy as it sounds they want to know what you think. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.

2. Link like crazy

In every post, do not forget to put some links to free useful resources relevant to post topic. It will make your post extremely popular. You can provide links to articles, free e-books, free web tools and links to similar hugely popular posts.

3. Write Less

Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is valuable and people are busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.

4. 250 words is enough

A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.

5. Make Headlines snappy

The headline of your post makes immediate impact on the reader. Pick a startling title with keywords in it. Keep it 5 to 10 words long and capitalize words. If your title is impressive you will attract more readers to your post.  Needless to say, search engine optimization plays a major factor in every part of web publishing system. Make sure that your post title includes at least one important keyword or phrase related to post topic.  Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.  Or, Google has a great web site that will give you suggestions of what keywords to use based on the subject of your blog, click HERE to see that.

6. Include bullet point lists and photos

We all love lists, it structures the info in an easily digestible format. People are also very visual. Using imagery can be very effective in enriching your posts. Photos immediately lets readers know what the post is about without reading a word. Your photo doesn’t always have to be at the beginning of the blog either. Using photos throughout the text will drawing the reader’s eye down a post beyond the first few lines.

7. Make your posts easy to scan

Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.

8. Litter the post with Keywords

Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. Make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.  Remember you are writing your blog for both humans as well as search engines.  Go back to the Google site mentioned in #5 if you are looking for keywords to use in your blog.

9. End with a question

This isn’t a gimmick, it works really well.  Ask questions from your readers and get them involved in active and lively discussion in the form of comments to your post. Allowing the readers to interact and take part in the discussion popularizes your blog.

10. Edit your post

Needless to say, before you click the publish button make sure you have checked the grammar, punctuations, commas and other mistakes in text of your post. Remove all the clutter and arrange the lists properly. Making your post free of any typographical and grammatical errors makes it good reading experience for your readers.

Not sure what to write about…click HERE to get 101 Real Estate Blog Topics.

In a 409-5 vote, House lawmakers have passed a standalone bill that would extend for three months Wednesday’s deadline for closing on a home purchase in order to claim the federal homebuyer tax credit.  The Senate could vote as soon as tomorrow.  Without an extension, the National Association of Realtors estimates as many as 180,000 homebuyers who were under contract by April 30 may miss the June 30^th closing deadline, including 14,830 in Florida.  The Senate is already on record supporting an extension, having amended a bill on June 16 to push the deadline back to Sept. 30.  But other provisions of that bill, the “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010,” have proved controversial, prompting House lawmakers to introduce a standalone bill.  While some observers think HR 5623, “The Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act,” could sail through without further delay, there’s no guarantee.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Fannie Mae is considering punishing people that walk away from their unpaid mortgages.  Their goal is force homeowners faced with foreclosure to surrender their homes through either a lender-approved short sale of by a deed in lieu.   There are alternatives for distressed homeowners.  Visit www.HelpMeCDPE.com or call 863-577-2600 and ask to speak with a Certified Distressed Property Expert.  To read the entire article in the Ledger about Fannie Mae’s threat to punish homeowners that simply walk away from their mortgage click HERE.

Finally some good news regarding the foreclosures in Florida.  The foreclosure filings were down significantly for the first quarter in comparison to the previous two years.  I believe this is in part due to the fact that the banks are finally getting easier to work with regarding short sales, which are keeping struggling homeowners from foreclosure.  As a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE), the process is becoming a little easier, although still time consuming.  But helping homeowners avoid the dreaded “F” word gives me great satisfaction. 

Click HERE to read the entire article in today’s Ledger regarding foreclosure filings being down during the first quarter of 2010.

The Federal Reserve’s latest region-by-region analysis of the national economy, the so-called “Beige Book” released last week, has an important message for anyone interested in real estate: It’s a gradual recovery out there, but it’s for real and it should prove durable. Tim Becker, director of the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies said, “Results of our first quarter survey indicate that the real estate market in Florida has hit bottom and is in the process of stabilizing across most property types”

The Fed’s report, which is based on detailed assessments from 12 member banks spread around the country, noted that the home purchase tax credits stimulated sales as they were intended to do. And, most economists in the Federal Reserve System think that low interest rates and fairly low prices will continue to make the (housing) market attractive for prospective buyers.

Now, no one is predicting a break-out of big-time home price appreciation across the country anytime soon. But the IAS (Integrated Asset Services) numbers suggest that home buyers and owners can at least be confident that we’ve reached or passed the bottom in most areas.  UF’s recent report says Florida real estate markets show the first tentative signs of being on the verge of recovering from the most painful recession in the state’s history.

Of course there are still some major roadblocks in the way of any full economic and housing market recovery. Topping the list is the high and persistent unemployment numbers. So, does the Federal Reserve have it right?  Are we on the road of a gradual recovery?  As usual, the picture is complicated, and we all wish we had a crystal ball. But overall, we are seeing more activity, so I think the Federal Reserve probably has the outlook pegged about right.

According to the National Association of Realtors 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 90% of home buyers used the Internet when searching for a home.  Realty World Homes of Distinction is now providing sellers maximum exposure on the Internet through a National Listing Distribution Program.  Within 72 hours of listing your home with any Realty World Homes of Distinction agent it will be displayed on numerous major national real estate website portals, providing instant, maximum exposure and increased search results on all of our listing. 

Below is a list of some of the sites our listings are automatically fed too.