Florida Connects - When it comes to investing in land/real estate in Florida or stocks, there is no one size fits all. Although both vehicles have proven over the long run to provide excellent returns when handled properly, each person will have their own unique goals, risk tolerance, and capital that they are willing to spend.

Additionally, this is where a financial planning specialist may offer useful insights as well. You may have heard the advice to not put your eggs all in one basket. Therefore, it may even be beneficial to consider pursuing both forms of investments to better leverage your profits.

So our goal is to offer an overview of both sides of the coin in order for you to start forming your own opinion. All in all, it is most important that you proactively take your financial future into your own hands and only pursue the path that you feel will be the best for you and your family.

Benefits of Investing in Land or Real Estate in Florida

Many very successful people started out their investing careers in real estate. Plus regardless of what happens in the economy, it is factual that people will always need a place to live in Florida. Florida  Homes very rarely decrease in value when they are well maintained and purchased correctly.

In addition, land in Florida can be an extremely lucrative investment since the world’s population continues to increase, and as a result the demand for land used by residential, commercial and retail entities is always on the rise as well.

With Florida real estate you are offered something that is tangible and can be easier to calculate your due diligence. In other words, after reviewing the property specs with appraisers and inspectors, you have a fairly good idea of what you are getting into.

Downside of Real Estate Investments in Florida

First of all, there is typically a lot more time and energy invested in managing your investments. Whether you are renting your Florida property out to tenants or keeping your lots clean and free of debris and coding violations, this is something you will be much more actively involved in.

Next, real estate always has some sort of cost involved. Regardless of what you decide to do with your properties, you will still be responsible for taxes, insurance, utilities, repairs/maintenance and possible a host of other expenses. Plus you can end up overspending and losing your shirt.

Finally, you have to have the proper investment strategy in place. Although real estate has historically been a strong hedge against inflation, you always need to consider your own local trends so you can properly leverage your investments to realize a strong ROI.

Benefits of Investing in Stocks

Unlike real estate, this is an investment that can be essentially placed on autopilot. Aside from keeping an eye on your portfolio for rises and dips, you can leave the management and operation of each entity up to the professional staff. You own a piece of each company without having to work for it.

Even with the Great Depression and other scares that we have witnessed over the last century, stocks have historically proven to be the best return on investment for those who hold on through the tough times and invest their returns properly.

Additionally, it typically doesn’t take a huge upfront investment to get involved in the market, and this is very beneficial for those who don’t have a lot of cash on hand. As long as you choose the right companies, earnings will continue to increase. Selling your stocks is also infinitely easier than listing a property or land for sale as well.

Downside of Stocks

On the other hand, the greatest benefits of stocks can sometimes be the most detrimental weaknesses. For example, though you do not need to actively invest sweat into each company, you are also leaving your finances in the hands of a management team that dictates how things operate.

Therefore, if business takes a nosedive so do your stocks. Some will recover while others may crash and burn. Also, this can be a very emotional game. Especially for those who are getting closer to retirement, the couple scares that we have witnessed in the last decade caused many people to pull out at huge losses.

Finally, stocks can be a lot more unpredictable, especially if you are jumping on the bandwagon of rising trends or promising starter companies. Though some may end up being a home-run, you are always listening to the speculations of gurus or your own gut feeling. Alternatively, real estate can typically be more accurately measured.

In conclusion, it important that you take the time to assess the investment opportunities that are available to you before making any decisions. It is important to look out for your financial future and well being, and we’re here to support you along the way.

If you need more information about how you can get started investing in real estate or land, and want to discover the options available in our local area, take the time to contact Florida Connects  today. We look forward to doing business with you!

Foreclosure High Bid Home:  Home (previously Valued at $125,000) Highest and Best Offer received will be submitted to the bank for Approval. NOT a HUD, IRS, “repo”, or handy-man special.

Remember The Old Neighborhood where neighbors looked out for each other, children played on the street & stray dogs always found there way home? You can have this again with this 2 bedroom, 1 bath charmer cul de sac home. There’s plenty of room to spread out, start your family or just down size for retirement. Mom and Dad will enjoy a spacious bedroom, cheerful living room, sunny family room and eat in kitchen. The covered front porch is a retreat. A huge back yard gives kids or dogs room to roam. Tower Road Park and huge play ground is just steps away. Stated list price is required minimum bid only. Times for inspection reviled shortly.

Bedroom: 2

Bath: 1

Build 1985

Sq ft. approx 1,136

Florida – As stated before we expect in 2012 home prices to continue to fall additional 3-5% while home supply still out weights the demand for homes in the Florida real estate market.

The flat housing market will be continue over the next several years and it is the best time to clean up your credit and re-establish your financial stability.

After a foreclosure it is more important than ever that you establish a good credit when buying your next home. When you take the time and establish a good credit it will allow you to buy your next home with a minimal down payment and the lowest interest rates on the market available. You need a plan and discipline to establish your goal of home owner ship.

If you lost your home to foreclosure or a short sale, now is the time to get you back in a favorable position for your next home purchase. It needs some time, work, discipline and don’t loose hope and focus on your goal-owning a home again. Many finical institution will consider your new loan application after three years of good credit records.

Her is what you should consider to do:

Fix your credit

• It is important that you start to make as many as possible payments on time. Not only on your credit cards, but also on everyday bill like utility, waste, cable etc.. If you still have other debt obligation it is more important than ever to make those payments on time. On time payment will boost your credit score. The more on time payments you have the faster your credit score will rise.
• If you still have a credit card with a balance try to pay the balance down. But don’t pay it down and leave it at zero balance. Try to use it and pay it off right away. Don’t close credit card account, that will influence your credit score negative, while you loose “credit” available to you and will lower your score.

Save money

• While most all home buyers programs require a down payment, now is the time to start saving for it. FHA loans require a 3.5% down payment and allow sellers contribution for closing cost up to 6% as of the day of this writing. Example if you want to buy a home and need to borrow $100,000 you need a $3,500 down payment. Also consider closing cost which you have to pay if the seller is not willing to contribute. Closing cost are between $4,000-$5,000 in Florida per $100,000. Now it should be easy to figure out how much you have to save each month for the next 3 years so that your down payment and closing costs are covered.
• Saving money also means saving for an emergency. You should consider to have at least 6 month living expense save up. This emergency fund is to be used only when you are out of work or loose some income for what ever reason. This emergency cushion should bring you over hart times you may face in the future. Save this separate to your down payment and closing cost.

Don’t buy what you can not afford

• You have built your credit score up over the past 3 years don’t ruined with an impulsive buy. Good deals will stay for some time and you will have time enough to buy out of an educated decision.
• Buy only what you can afford and you feel comfortable with paying every month. Many lender will approve you for a higher amount but stick with your plan. Lenders will per-approve you on your income/ debt ratio but not considering g other living expense you may have. so it is up to you take figure out what monthly budget you can afford overall.

If you stick to your plan and follow the recommendation you should be able to buy a home three years after a foreclosure or short sale. Many lending institution will allow you to apply after three years when you have good credit, maintain your credit and have a one time credit profile. Therefore it is important that you rebuilt your credit after the hart realty of foreclosure.

Tallahassee Fl- The Tallahassee real estate market in 2011 ended lower as the market a year before and is one of the worst years since 2003. The market has been dominated by distress sales, short sales and foreclosure.

National Home prices have started into the year 2012 with a 2.6% annual drop. The Tallahassee market as well has lost price stability throughout 2011 and prices are still declining in 2012.

Jobless rate in Florida went down again at the end of 2011 to 9.9%.
Leon County unemployment rate is under the Florida jobless rate and is at 7.6%.

Over the last year home values have been declined equal to the rest of the country. Increasing inventory combined with the greater difficulty of securing loans and the need for more down payment and higher credit scores will put even more pressure on the market.

Tallahassee rentals are steady and prices have not increase significantly. Tallahassee low home prices making renting in many cases more costly could bring buying moving people into the buying market.

New home construction for home builders in Tallahassee will be not much relief. Although the new home builder market for the year of 2011 will be as well the worst market ever. We don’t expect much relief in 2012 for this market segmentation.

The effect on the housing crises are widespread and it is expected that the Tallahassee market in 2012 still will decline. There will be no increase in home prices and shadow inventory is expected to enter the Tallahassee market.

The dominant factor for the Tallahassee market will continue to pressure prices from distressed sales, short sales and foreclosure. There could be an additional 3-5% loss in home value over the next 12 month.

The only question is how long will it take for the Tallahassee market to recover? A complete recovery will mean there is a 4 month supply of homes for sale. As of January 2012 the Tallahassee market has an supply of 14.2 month of homes for sale. As you can see we still have a long way to go. Homes with severe flaws or not priced right at market, are staying on the market for a long time.

Buying and selling in this market requires a deep understanding of the history and pressures in each area of town and each price band.

We hope this compressive Tallahassee Market Report with detailed information by price range; zip code and area help’s you make the best decision for you and your family.

It is our pleasure to deliver it to you so together we can spot the trends.

Please, call us if we can provide you any additional information.

Download your full report here with charts and graphs.

Florida Connects Inc.

850-364-3946

FLorida Connects– Does it make you angry when a bank kicks a family out of their home and loses money as a result? This happens all the time. Let me explain how.

A family buys a home for $250,000. The home declines in value to $150,000. At the same time, their income drops to where they can only afford a $150,000 mortgage payment.

Does their bank reduce their payment through a loan modification and allow them to keep their home? No! Instead, the bank forecloses on the home. But, it doesn’t sell for $150,000.

It sells for $140,000, because the bank didn’t keep it up and the buyers offered less because it was a bank owned home. The bank nets $120,000 on the sale.

So, instead of allowing the family to stay in their home and repay them $150,000; the bank instead chose to kick them out of their home and lost $30,000 as a result.

Isn’t this pathetic? We need to change the system, don’t we?

We need to get out of venting to just people who are in the business. They already know we have a problem. But, the average american doesn’t know about the problems.

We need to show the American Public solid examples of how they are losing money. Let’s post the banks failings online. Tell the story at ripoffreport.com.

Loan modifications and short sales will become a game of chicken. You can tell the negotiator, “Turn down this offer at your own risk. If you fail, and the house sells for less money, then I will put the entire story up online.”

That will help our cause. All we are doing is making a track record of these bank’s decisions. People who have better information will make better decisions.

This will make it easier for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the American People to make better decisions on short sales and the short sale process.

So, please post your bank’s failings online in our comment section.

Thanks for reading this, Annett T. Block.

Annett is a Real Estate Broker at Florida Connects Incorporated.

Tallahassee Phone: (850) 364-3946

Fort Lauderdale Phone: (954) 586-3930

info@FloridaConnectsInc.com

View other homes for sale at www.FloridaConnectsInc.com.

Annett T. Block specializes in distressed sales, loan modification assistance and short sales in Florida. Celebration Loan Modification Help, Celebration Short Sales. Celebration Short Sale Realtor. FL Short Sales. Florida Realtor. Florida Boker. Florida Foreclosure. Florida Distressed sales.

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Peers,

Historically during the month of December the number of home sales slow down due to the holiday season.  This year December 2011 has been the second worst month after the month of December 2008.  As expected for the month of December the number of homes for sale on the market has decreases.

Compared to November Sales home sales in December have decreased by 14%.  Inventory of homes for sale active on the market has also increased by 7.5 %. This means more competition for homes on the market. The statistic includes all Tallahassee and surrounding areas.

-         3315 Homes are currently for sale

-         234 Homes sold in November

Our analysis is that the Tallahassee market is still a defined “Extreme Buyers Market” with nearly 14 months of inventory of homes for sale.  Home Inventory with over six month supply is considered a Buyers market.

In our opinion the Tallahassee market is still over priced and prices will continue to fall. A big factor and price pressure are homes in foreclosure, selling as short sale or bank owned properties.

The Tallahassee market is slowing, prices decreases and Foreclosure and short sales are up. The uncertainty when the Tallahassee market will return to a leveled market of supply and demand will hold buyers on the fence until they find the greatest deal possible.

Buying and selling in this market requires a deep understanding of the history and pressures in each area of town and each price band.  We hope this compressive Tallahassee Market Report with detailed information by price range; zip code and area help’s you make the best decision for you and your family.

It is our pleasure to give you the information you need to make extremely informed decisions.

Call us if we can provide you any additional information.

Download your December 2011 Market Report here

YourHouseBid Homes are certified by industry experts to be the best deals available.

This Tallahassee home at 1948 Harriet Drive will be offered to the highest and best bid.

Required minimum Bid at $160,000 is Opening Bid ONLY, Home (Valued at $200,000) Highest and Best Offer received Friday at 2PM will be submitted for Approval.

NOT a HUD, IRS, “repo”, or handy-man special.  Call 850-364-3946 for private showing.

For details on this home bidding or your private showing please call 850-364-3946.

To receive more information and receive your bidding package please include your email below.

CONTINGENT

TAKING BACK UP OFFERS

Accepting Bids for this Great Location NE Tallahassee Home

Preview this Saturday December 03,2011 from 2-4 PM
Accepting Bids from 12/03/2011 until 12/09/2011 2PM

Call for Your Private Showing 850-364-3946

or email info@FloridaConnectsInc.com

or visit www.FloridaConnectsInc.com

FLorida – The biggest threat to your home sale is a low appraisal. Which is why your agent needs to make sure the appraisal is accurate.

Here is the process your agent needs to follow to ensure an accurate appraisal.

The person doing the appraisal doesn’t understand why the home is selling for a specific sales price. They don’t understand why buyers are only willing to pay X. That is why your agent must explain that to them.

First, your agent should always meet them at the property and bring a detailed Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) with them.

The CMA should include at least 3-5 comparable sold homes, 2-3 comparable homes currently under contact, and 3-5 active competing homes currently on the open market.

They should put together a detailed CMA using the sold comparable sales. They will give that CMA along with the actives and pendings to the person doing the appraisal.

They will ask them what they feel the value of the house is. Then, your agent should show them the MLS history and explain why the house is only selling for X.

The key with the CMA is to use the closest comps available. You should not include REO or Foreclosure comps if possible. Appraisers want the closest geographic comps available.

A real estate agent will use your agent’s comps most of the time. An appraiser won’t do that very often. Need an offer on your house?

Selling with Your House bid  Auction Method will make you comptable with all the REO’s, foreclosure and Short sale properties on the market. We will produce more demand for your home.  Send us an e-mail at info@FloridaConnectsInc.com and we will see if this auction selling method is right for you.

When we talk, I will explain how the process works in detail and answer any questions you may have. Or, if you prefer, you can call me in Tallahassee at (850) 364-3946 or in Fort Lauderdale at (954)  586-3930.

View all our homes for sale at www.FloridaConnectsInc.com

September 2011

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Peers,

Welcome Fall and Enjoy cooler Temperatures.

After Labor Day it is a seasonal slow down in the real estate market. The latest indication shows that foreclosure filings have picked up after lenders have corrected their mess.

Besides all the negative news, Realty Trac listed Tallahasseeas one under the best 10 College Towns to invest in Real Estate. As of Realty Trac, Investment Properties are discounted at an average of 35% Discount rate.

Our analyses is that the Tallahassee market has slipped back into a “Extreme Buyers Market” with slightly 12 months of inventory of homes for sale. There are less homes “pending” (under contract) in September.

Historically, starting in September, the number of home sales decreases compared to the month before. The same is true for the number of pending sales and the sales per month. This is also true for this year.

Our prediction is that the Tallahassee real estate market will remain for the next few month in a “Extreme Buyers Market” in all price ranges.

Buying and selling in this market requires a deep understanding of the history and pressures in each area of town and each price band.

We hope this Tallahassee Properties Market Advanced Report’s detailed information by price range; zip code and area help’s you make the best decision for you and your family.

It is our pleasure to give you the information you need to make extremely informed decisions.

Call us at 850-364-3946 if we can provide you any additional information.

 Download the Report here