SWFL Real Estate

Every successful home search begins with a wish list. Armed with your inventory of must-haves, you'll know how to focus your search and recognize a potential home that isn't worth your time.
Still, there's a strange thing that seems to happen when you're deep in the trenches of house hunting: The more you look, the longer that wish list seems to grow. But sooner or later, you have to own up to the fact that you can’t have everything—it's inevitable that you'll make some compromises somewhere.
And, in these days of tight inventory and cutthroat competition from other buyers, you might feel forced to waver far afield from your hallowed wish list in order to land a home.
That's OK—it’s important to be flexible. But there are a few times when you absolutely should draw the line. Here are seven areas where you'll want to dig in your heels.
1. Buying a fixer-upper when you really want turnkey
You have never swung a hammer, have a phobia of power tools, and always pictured yourself in something new and shiny. But that doesn’t mean you won’t fall in love with a charming, century-old farmhouse that needs a ton of work. Now's when you have to decide: Are you up to the financial and emotional challenges of taking on major renovations?
See our list of average repair cost for items(this list is from our experience)
It's an option you should seriously consider (with the help of an experienced general contractor) if you're in a highly competitive market. But if you don’t think your bank account or your marriage could survive many months of upheaval, stick to your guns and insist on a move-in ready home
“There have been times when I’ve said to clients, 'after being with you for a week, I really think we need to look at new construction,'" Many of those clients were later grateful for the course correction, saying, "We would never have been able to enjoy ourselves in [an older] house."
2. A good school district
Even if you don't have children, you should make sure the house you’re eyeing has desirable schools nearby,
Does it matter if you're not looking to have a few kids? Well, things can always change. But even if they don't, good schools typically translate to a higher resale value—potential buyers with families will want to be in the right district.
Just make sure to do your research and determine where the home sits in relation to the school district boundaries.
“Often agents will advertise a property as being near such-and-such school area, but not necessarily specify the district, which can be very confusing,” “It can be a real eye-opener if a buyer closes and they’re on one side of a main street that is the dividing line between the top-rated and the lowest-rated high schools.”
Go to the school district's website to get a map of the district boundaries.
3. The floor plan
Does the home fit your minimum criteria in terms of number of rooms and the flow of the main living areas? If not, cross it off your list,
Wes Edwards can share some personal cautionary tales: A military retiree, he’s moved 11 times in the past 15 years, buying and selling many homes in the process.
“I regret that I compromised on layout in the past”. “When I really needed four bedrooms, I’ve gone to three and then wished I hadn’t.”
Sure, you can add on. But don't use that option as a fallback.
“You can change a layout to make it an open floor plan, but it's a lot more difficult to change the bedroom and bathroom count”. “In the long run, you could end up having a lot of problems and taking on a really big financial undertaking.”
4. The neighbors
During your search, don’t just focus on the house you’re interested in—check out the neighboring homes as well. “Are the properties well-kept, or candidates for an episode of "Hoarders"?
The condition of the properties around you can affect your future resale value. And they can just plain drive you crazy. Make sure you look—and listen—any time you visit your prospective home.
“You can’t change the house in front of you or to the side of you, and if there’s a barking dog every time you’re viewing the property, that’s another thing that you absolutely cannot change.”
5. Your budget
You've probably already determined how much you're willing to pay for a home—and you shouldn't budge on that number. But you should also dig into your the additional costs beyond the sticker price. That means setting a budget for your monthly payments, HOA dues, utility costs, and real estate taxes—and sticking to it. (Hint: You want to do this before you start looking at homes, and definitely before you start making offers.)
Yes, a lender will give you a pre-approval and tell you how much house you can afford. But this is just one piece of the puzzle, and the costs of homeownership can still land you in a mountain of debt if you're not careful.
I try to do a lot of pre-planning with clients about what they can really afford, as opposed to what the bank tells you. You never want to be house poor.
6. Commute time
If you’ve already determined that you’re willing to take on a 30-minute commute, don’t allow yourself to be swayed into anything longer.
“Sometimes buyers fall in love with all the shiny bells and whistles of a house that’s an hour away from work, and want to compromise on what they’ve told me from the beginning,I tell them, I know it doesn't matter right now because you really love this house, but that’s two hours every day that you’ll be sitting in the car and not enjoying your house. Is that worth it to you?
Until you’ve actually driven the route to and from your potential home and your office, at the times you'll be commuting, you should never consider compromising.
In some large cities, being just a few miles from the highway can tack on an additional hour of commuting. Could you handle that after a long day in the office? Think carefully before making the sacrifice.
7. Parking
Speaking of your car, if you own one (or two), you absolutely want a guaranteed spot to park, whether that means an enclosed garage, a driveway, or assigned parking.
“There are many communities that now restrict outside parking, guest spaces, and overnight parking, which could be a real homeowner nightmare if you have to fend for yourself”.
To avoid frustration after you’ve closed a deal, stick to your guns about the things that are most important to you while making your choice, and ignore the rest of the noise.
Copyright Weston Edwards, BK3299696

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Knowledge of the process makes the process easier to manage. And when the process is easier you can find opportunities. If your Looking for the right real estate opportunity in the SWFL Market Drop Wes Edwards Realtor a message.

Copyright Wes Edwards, Broker Associate MVP Realty.
For usage license Message Wes Edwards Realtor

Is it not Selling?
SWFL home Sellers find it difficult to be optimistic after their listing has expired.
Most are excited and nervous when that listing agreement is first signed, hoping that the SWFL home sells quickly and for a big profit. It's frustrating to wait week after week for a purchase offer when that offer never arrives.
Regardless of the length of listing -- whether the agreement was for a term of 90 days, 180 days or a year -- when the listing has expired, the broker / seller relationship has come to an end (more or less).
This is when sellers often ask whose fault is it that the home isn't selling?
CHECK MOTIVATION
The first step is to review your reasons to sell. If you don't fit one of the 15 reasons listed, then you might want to revisit why you are selling. In other words, maybe you don't have a reason to sell. Perhaps you should temporarily take your home off the market.
If you are not motivated to sell, you are not a seller. You're a homeowner with a sign in the yard. Without motivation, you've got about as much hope for selling as an owner with a sign that reads, "Keep Off the Grass."
MARKETING

Answer these questions!!!!
Where is the marketing plan? Has your listing been presented to the right Demographic set? Was there an active marketing strategy? Was there a “full court press” marketing strategy? Has your listing received enough online traffic? Was there a call to action in the ads? Was there a retargeting strategy? Did the ad creative present the right image? Did the ads turn into showings?
Review the strategy and make changes!!!
Review the marketing plan with your agent, step-by-step. Did your agent drop the ball? Did you? What worked, what didn't pull ad calls or showings? Did the home get enough eyeballs? Are the photos up to s***f? What was the first impression delivered? Did you do a virtual tour, send out direct mail, put a lockbox on the property?
CONSIDER CONDITION
Go out and look at other homes on the market to determine if your home is in the same condition as those actively for sale. Did you defer maintenance? Perhaps you need to do repairs before selling. Maybe your home needs to be staged. Does your home scream curb appeal?
Have you followed the top 10 home showing tips?
LOOK AGAIN AT BUYER OBJECTIONS
What have buyers said about your home? Review buyer feedback, which your agent should have obtained for you when your home first went on the market.
Is there validity to what buyers were saying? How can you compensate for those objections?
DISCOUNT SUDDEN ACTIVITY
You won't have to look too far to find agents because they'll all come crawling out of the woodwork when your listing expires. Realtors are prevented from soliciting a seller when the listing is active in MLS. But you're fair game when the listing has expired.
You may wonder why your listing, now that it has expired, is so popular. Many agents specialize in contacting expired listings because they want the listing. Period. Moreover, realize that some agents will take an overpriced listing just to get signage.
You might ask your agent to make sure your name and phone number have been removed from MLS when the listing is withdrawn, canceled or expired to make it more difficult for agents to harass, oops, I mean, call you.

What to do after the listing Expires?
CONTACT SEVERAL LISTING AGENTS
Interview agents. Ask the hard questions to determine if the agents are giving you the right answers. Find out what another agent might do differently. If another agent offers substantially more service than your existing agent, list with that agent. Check your criteria for choosing a listing agent.

Criteria for choosing and Listing Agent:
List Price to Close Price Ratio(should be over 97.5%)
Closed to Expired Ratio( should not be over 1.5%)
The must have an Active Marketing Strategy
They must have invested in consumer data and analytics
Do they know how to target market( if they say, huh or what?!?! Throw them out)
If they say they market internationally laugh at them and throw them out(the same internet is available everywhere except CO**IE LAND)
Ask how much they are spending on photography/tours(if less than $750 through them out)
Ask who answers inbound inquiry calls( if its an office assistant throw them out)
Ask if they will place your home on a digital showing service but still follow up with showing agent. (if they don't say i call the showing agent and sell your listing throw them out)
For the 20 other things your listing agent should be doing send us a message!!!
TALK TO YOUR EXISTING AGENT ABOUT WHY THE LISTING DIDN'T SELL
If your agent has fulfilled the marketing plan, worked diligently to sell your home, and the market is not answering the ring to your dinner bell, then you might need to conform to the market.

Copyright Weston Edwards, Broker BK3299696
239-224-2492