So the big news in real estate this week is.... "The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes rose by 5.5 percent from August to September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million units - far better than the flat results analysts had expected. On an unadjusted basis, sales were up 7.8 percent from September last year. But even with the gain in sales, prices kept falling. The median sales price has dropped to $191,600, down by 9 percent from a year ago." (From Newsweek) 

Let's see how this applies to real estate in my market Poinciana Florida. 

In August there were 55 sales in Poinciana Florida. In September there were 66. That's an increase of 17%. Compared to 5.5% Nationwide. OK so Poinciana beat the National average. That's a good thing. 

Now let's compare the other stats. Nationwide sales were up 7.8% compared to same time last year. Poinciana had 26 sales September of 2007 and 66 this September for an increase of 61%. Holy crap!!!!! 

The median price nationwide is $191,600, down 9% from a year ago. The median house price in Poinciana Florida is $105,000 down from $188,000 last September. That's a decrease of 44%!!! That's a 44% decline in value in the last 12 months. 

Let's go back a little further. In January of 2007 the median sales price for a house in Poinciana Florida was $225,000. Today it's $105,000. That's a decrease of 53%. 

Here's another comparison. The median price per sq footage living area right now is $59. The last time it was this low in Poinciana Florida was in 2002. 

There are currently 217 properties under contract (pending) in Poinciana Florida with a median price per sq ft of $55. This means values are still declining. And to top it off...inventory is going up!!! We have 1217 houses on the market right now up from about 1150 30 days ago. 

The increase in inventory is actually interesting since values are down and sales are up. This is a direct indicator of increased foreclosures hitting the market.

Folks, it's been a rough ride for Poinciana real estate. It does look like things are getting a little better though. Values are still declining BUT at least properties are starting to sell. This means values are more in line with what the market will bare. 

Of course, if you bought your house in the last 5 years chances are you have NO equity and may even owe more than your house is worth. So my suggestion is to just sit back and enjoy your home. 

If you MUST sell then give me a call. Together we can figure out a plan to get you out from under your house. Do NOT just walk away or let your house get foreclosed on. Talk to me first so we can discuss your options. I want to help. OK? 

POINCIANA FLORIDA REAL ESTATE SHORT SALE INFORMATION

POINCIANA FLORIDA REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORTS

CENTRAL FLORIDA REALTOR(r) OPPORTUNITIES

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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Hi folks. If you are looking to purchase single family homes, that will cash flow, the time is right. The homes below would rent in the $600 to $650 per month range. With 20% to 30% down each would have a positive cash flow of approximately $100 to $150 per month. There are currently 65 properties on the market in Poinciana Florida for $75,000 or less. Most of these are 3 bedroom 2 bath homes with about 1200 sq ft. 

Check it out: 

3 bedrooms 2 baths with 1088 sq ft of living area built in 2000. Last sold in August of 2005 for $163,500. It is currently back owned and is being offered by First Service Realty, Inc at $44,900!!!

3 bedrooms 2 baths with 1750 sq ft of living area built in 2006. Last sold in February of 2006, brand new, for $198,300. It is currently bank owned and is being offered by First Service Realty, Inc at $63,500.

4 bedrooms 2 baths with 1410 sq ft of living area and a pool built in 1986. Last sold in December 2006 for $182,000. It is currently bank owned and is being offered by Goodwin Realty & Associates at $64,900.

***These properties are not listed by Tutas Towne Realty, Inc but are a sampling of available homes per the Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service.

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Here are a few photos I took while driving around Poinciana Florida today. If it's true that a picture paints a thousand words then I guess these pretty much sum up what's going on with the Poinciana Real Estate Market.

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE!!!

MOVED ON WITH NO FORWARDING ADDRESS!

TRYING TO MOVE ON!!

NEED I SAY MORE?

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Hi folks. I had one of my Sellers email me earlier today needing an update on what is going on with her property. She's an absentee Seller and I could feel her frustration. She had been to my Poinciana website and noticed that I had just closed on a short sale that was similar in size to her house. Anyway, I'm sure many of you are getting these types of emails, so, I decided to post my response here, just in case it will help you with responding to your Sellers. The main thing, of course, is too just be honest. As a listing Broker, I can't control the market and I certainly don't take responsibility for it. 

When I first listed this property we were within 5% of market value and have in fact had 2 offers on it that were turned down. So here's my response to my Seller. 

START OF EMAIL

Thanks for your email. I did just close on a short sale property a couple of weeks ago. It was about the same size as yours but was a single story. It sold for $140,000 with the seller paying $8,400 towards the buyers closing costs for an effective selling price of $131,600. 

We are getting some activity on your home but it is very sporadic. I have attached a market report showing how homes with at least 4 bedrooms, 2000 sq ft or more built no earlier than 2004 are doing in Poinciana since we placed yours on the market. 

What it shows you is that there are currently 199 homes for sale that meet these parameters. The average home has 4 bedrooms 2,551 sq ft and is priced at $174,413 or $68.49 per sq ft. For reference yours is priced at $74.79 per sq ft. 

There are 18 properties under contract(pending). These are on average 4 bedroom homes with 2,623 sq ft priced at $151,446 or $58.50 per sq ft. 

There have been 52 sales since your house was placed on the market. These were 4 bedroom homes with 2,552 sq ft and sold for $160,917 or $64.30 per sq ft. 

This shows me 2 things:

1. First, the homes that are selling (sold and pending) are larger than yours and are selling for less money per sq ft. The sales are at $64.30 and the pendings are at $58.50.
2. Secondly, this shows me that prices are still declining. That means that your house will be worth less tomorrow than it is today and less next week than it will be tomorrow. 

The last time we discussed pricing was 4 July. At that time, the average price per sq ft was $66.00. Your house at that time was worth $141,000. Based on that figure a price reduction to $149,000 was suggested. You agreed to $159,000. 

Based on today's price per sq ft the value of your house is $137,500. So the issue is still pricing.

Poinciana is averaging about 45 sales a month out of 1200 listings. That means that there is 26 months of inventory on the market. 83% of the sales are either bank owned properties (REOs) or short sales. 

So, to answer your question, people are looking at the best priced properties out there. If they can find a bare basic house that is relatively new for $20,000 less than yours then that is what they are buying. 

To compound our market difficulties, as of September 31st, Seller paid down payment assistance will no longer be allowed. This is a huge part of the market in Poinciana. FHA is also raising their minimum down payment from 3% to 3.5%. Mortgages are getting more and more difficult to get. 

So what do you do?

• Reduce it and sell it before it gets worse.
• Rent it out. 

Here is a link to my latest market report. 

I hope this helps you to understand what's going on. I'll look forward to your thoughts. Please feel free to give me a call if you want to chat. END OF EMAIL 

Folks, chasing a declining market downward is a losing proposition. What say you?  

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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I know you guys have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for this month's market report. So here you are......Poinciana Florida's market report for July 2008. 

***This data was pulled form the Mid-Florida Regional MLS on 8-7-08 and is deemed reliable. It includes Poinciana neighborhoods in zip codes 34759 and 34758 but does not include Solivita, Cypress Woods and Lake Marion Shores.*** 

For the month of July there were 62 single family homes that closed with an average property having 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1812 sq ft of living area. Most were built in 2000 or later. The average selling price was $118,175 and the median selling price was $118,250. 

51 of these 62 sales were either bank owned (REOs) or Short Sales. That's 83%!!! 

There are currently 1196 homes on the market and 130 under contract (pending). 

The lowest priced home on the market is a 3/2 with 967 sq ft built in 1996. This is a REO property and is priced at $55,900. It's been on the market for 114 days and has had several price reductions.

The highest priced home on the market is a 4/2.5, with a pool, 2162 sq ft and was built in 2003. It's a privately owned home and has been on the market for 684 days!!! It's currently priced at $369,000 after a couple of price reductions. I guess they're in no hurry to sell this one.

OK let's look at a table showing the last 7 months of sales activity to see if there is a trend developing. 

What this table shows me is that monthly sales have increased quite a bit since January. Of course this could be a seasonal thing. Let's wait and see if this trend continues. The median sales price has decreased 14% and the price per sq footage has decreased 25%. 

These figures line up with the fact that 83% of the sales in July were REOs or short sales. These distressed sales are bringing values down even though sales volume is up. 

What this means is, there are Buyers out there, and they are buying if the price is right. Also, the declining values, stress how important it is to price your property in front of the curve. This is no time to test the market. With an average of 44 homes selling each month, out of almost 1200 that are available, you MUST have the best priced house on the market or you are dead in the water. You will NOT get lucky. 

We are not experiencing a Buyer problem we are experiencing an inventory problem. Too many homes to choose from. The way to attract Buyers is..... pricing. But you knew that. 

So, that's my report for this month. As always, let me know if you have any questions. Any thoughts?

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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Hi there. In this post I'm going to explore the history of a couple of recent foreclosures (REOs) that have just been placed under contract (pending). I figure this little exercise will give you some incite on the cyclical nature of real estate and property values. 

Both of these properties were sold by me, prior to opening up Tutas Towne Realty, 10 years ago. 

The first one is a 3 bedroom 2 bath pool home with 1670 sq ft of living area built in 1991 and sits on a ½ acre lot. 

I met the original owner of this house back in 1995. He lived in England and this house was used as a vacation home. He built the house in 1991 and paid $95,000. It has since had 5 owners including Countrywide Mortgage who now owns the property. Let's check out the sales history. 

 Wow! Isn't that interesting? In 17 years this property has increased in value by 62%. That's pretty darn good. 

Now let's check out another one. This house was built in 1991 and is a 3 bedroom 3 bath with 1644 sq ft and a pool on a standard size lot. 

The original owner of this property was also from England and I met her in 1996. She paid $87,900 for this property when she had it built. 

It's had 4 owners including Bear Stearns who owns it now and is also currently under contract. Here's the sales history. 

This one didn't fare as well as the first one. It only increased by 31% over 17 years. But look at what happened between 1997 and 2006. Holy crap!!! A 180% increase!!! That's incredible. 

These charts show you that during the 90s values barely increased if at all. This was a down cycle. Then, from about 2000 to 2006, values sky rocketed. Now we are back in a down market. 

The big question is...will it last 10 years like the last one? Maybe. If that's the case then we are looking at 2016 before we hit the next big upswing in values. OR was 2001-2006 just an anomaly? 

What do you think? 

NOTE: Real Estate markets are very local. This report is based on data specific to Poinciana FL. Also, the 2008 sales data is based on a pending price not a sales price, so the percentages will vary slightly.

Hi folks. Here's an update on the foreclosure situation in Florida. I read an article earlier today on our Florida Association of Realtors website stating that Florida has 77,000 homeowners in foreclosure!!! This is second only to California.  

I also spoke to a loss mitigation negotiator at Countrywide yesterday who mentioned Countrywide, or I guess Bank of America now, has 76% of the Nation's foreclosures and that they are expecting this number to increase in August when ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) are set to adjust again. EDIT:< Is this figure accurate? I don't know but it does line up with what I am seeing in my particular market, Poinciana FL.>

Then there was a report recently on channel 9 in Lakeland that mentioned one in every seven homes (15%) in Poinciana FL. was in some stage of foreclosure.  

My last Poinciana market report, for the first half of 2008, showed that 70% of the homes that have sold this year were either REOs (banked owned) or Short Sales (pre-foreclosures). It also showed that values in Poinciana are down 48% since late 2006. 

So folks, it is evident that we are in this mess for quite a while. BUT.....there is some help available if you are struggling with keeping your home. 10,000 Attorneys, throughout the State of Florida, have now partnered with Florida Legal Services to provide free legal services as part of an effort to keep Florida homeowners in their homes. Here's what I read today: 

• "Florida Legal Services and the Florida Bar Association have partnered in establishing a toll-free hotline - (866) 607-2187 - that consumers can call. They'll be asked a few initial questions about their situation to ensure accurate placement, and then be sent to a free attorney. The attorney will then negotiate with the lender on behalf of the client to keep the home from being foreclosed." 

I have not called them yet but will early next week to see what additional information I can get. I will be posting it here on my blog so.......ya'll come back now, ya here!!!! How cool is that?

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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OK it's time to rumble!!! I didn't do a Poinciana market report for May, so instead of going backwards, this month, I decided to do a report for the first 6 months of 2008 compared to the same period last year. First let's start with a little chart then I'll add my commentary. 

This data was pulled from the Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service and is deemed to be reliable. I'm using the data for zip codes 34758 and 34759, Poinciana Neighborhoods. It does not include Solivita, Cypress Woods, Crescent Lakes or Lake Marion. Jan 1-June 30. 

So what does this all mean? Well, the first thing, that stuck out like a sore thumb, is that 70% of the sales this year were either REOs(bank owned) or short sale (SSs) properties. Compared with only 7% for last year. Now the 7% figure may be a little low since our MLS did not have a field to reflect short sales last year. So lets just double it for the sake of this post. The fact remains that the REOs and SSs are WAY up and are now making up the bulk of the real estate market in Poinciana Fl. 

Now according to this chart prices are only down 34% BUT let's adjust that one too. In January of 2007 the average sales price was $221,968. In June of this year it was $123,720. That means that in the last 18 months values have plummeted 45%!! That sounds about right. 

At the peak of the market, late 2006, properties were selling on average for $130 per sq ft. Now they are at $67 for a decline of 48%. I was a little surprised by this as I actually thought we were down about 55%. But hey, in this case, I'm glad I was wrong. 

Inventory has been about the same all year. There were 50 sales in May and 49 in June so sales are up about 20% for the last couple of months. 

Here's the lowest recent sale. A 2078 sq ft home with a pool built in 1983 sold on May 16^th for........$83,800. It was a REO.

Here's a 2818 sq ft home built in 2006 that sold May 23^rd for $136,500. This was also a REO and was purchased new in 2006 for $256,400.

How about a 3008 sq ft home built in 2005 that just sold May 23^rd for $150,000? That's $48 per sq ft if you are counting.

My opinion, for the future, is that we still have a ways to go until things start leveling out a little. Price per sq ft is going to have to hit $55, maybe even $50. Out of the last 100 sales, 17 were at less than $55 per sq ft. YIKES!! 

So there you have it, Broker Bryant's Poinciana Market Report. Any questions? 

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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Look no further than this. Large 3 bedroom with over 2100 sq ft living area. Ceramic tile flooring in kitchen and dining room. Solar tinted windows. Very spacious floor plan. Needs carpeting. Folks this is an opportunity to own a large well priced home without waiting on a short sale approval. Sits at the end of a cul-de-sac on an over sized lot with no rear neighbors. Formal living and dining rooms. Family room off the eat in kitchen. Master bath has garden tub and separate shower. Solar tinted windows. It's waiting on you.....so act today! THIS IS NOT A SHORT SALE!!!

>

Maybe you'd rather have a pool home. This property is Range Priced. The seller will consider offers between $159,000 and $179,000 with $179,000 being a full price offer. Pool home on a large fenced corner lot. 20x18 bonus room under air. Folks, if you want space then this could be the home for you. 1800 sq ft with inground pool all on 1/3 acre(mol) corner lot. Wood burning fireplace on the living room, formal dining room, 18x20 bonus room under heat and air, very large kitchen, side entry garage, ceiling fans, solar heat for the pool, over size pool decking and enclosure and much much more. Act today!

MORE INFO FROM BROKER BRYANT... THE SOURCE FOR POINCIANA REAL ESTATE

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Hi folks. Here's a little chart I made today that I want to share with you. I made this so I could see where my business is coming from. 

What this chart shows me is that 45% of my business comes from referrals and repeat customers, 35% comes from my expired letter, 15% comes from the Internet and only 5% came from a sign call. 

It also shows me that 35% of my current business is in Short Sales(SS). 85% is with Sellers and 15% is with Buyers. 

I did this little exercise so I could see what my strong points are and what areas I need to concentrate on. The results are pretty much what I expected. I'm very much a "people person" so, it is certainly no surprise, that the most productive part of my business is just talking with folks and helping them solve their problems. This is very evident by 45% of my business coming from referrals and repeat business. These are referrals from consumers not my peers. 

It was also no surprise that my expired letter is very effective. The percentage of business from this is actually very low right now due to the fact that I turn down far more listings than I take. That's also the reason my listing inventory is very low. I usually carry between 25-30 active listings but only have 11 right now. I'm not counting vacant lots of which I have 7. 

It looks like I spend waaaaay too much time blogging too, since only 15% of my business comes from the Internet. But hey....it's fun!!! 

From reviewing this chart, I can tell I need to step up my listing efforts. And I need to hire a Buyer's agent. No sense wasting all those good Buyer leads but the fact is, if they aren't interested in my listings, then most of the time, I just tell them "Good luck with that"!! 

So.........do you know where your business is coming from?

***This is a little side note. I just noticed that today's ActiveRain newsletter features me and a whole bunch of my posts on taking listings. Anyway, this has caused my email to explode with comments coming in. I want to thank AR for the mention and I want to thank all of you guys for visiting those old posts and commenting on them. Unfortunately I will not have the time to go back to all of them and respond. BUT....if you have any specific questions you are more than welcome to pop me an email and I will answer your questions as soon as possible. Thank you!!!! 

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